The stage is set in Melbourne for the India-Australia one-off Test from March 6-9, a rare treat after their ODI showdown. Australia’s squad announcement highlights resilience, with uncapped Rachael Trenaman and Maitlan Brown breaking into the side.
Both debuted promisingly for Australia A against India A in August’s Brisbane red-ball fixture. Their Perth integration shores up an attack depleted by Kim Garth’s quad injury, Ellyse Perry’s fitness concerns, and Sophie Molineux’s back complaint.
Perry’s potential return would be batting-focused, with Trenaman ready as deputy. Brown, re-entering the fold post-2021, arrives with momentum from 16 wickets across 10 NSW matches this season.
Sophie Molineux’s absence elevates Alyssa Healy to captaincy for her last hurrah internationally. Healy’s Sunday ODI blitz of 158 runs off 98 deliveries against India remains fresh in memory.
Complete Australian squad: Alyssa Healy (captain), Darcie Brown, Maitlan Brown, Ashley Gardner, Lucy Hamilton, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Ellyse Perry, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Georgia Voll.
India fields: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Amanjot Kaur, Richa Ghosh (wk), Uma Chetry (wk), Pratyusha Raval, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Renuka Thakur, Sneh Rana, Kranti Gaud, Vaishnavi Sharma, Sayali Satghare.
Injury setbacks aside, Australia’s blend of veterans and newcomers signals intent for victory in this landmark match.