India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said she would prefer a points system for the multi-format series and said it would make things “more difficult”.
India’s home series against South Africa begins on Sunday with the first of three ODIs in Bengaluru, followed by a one-off Test and three T20Is in Chennai. A points system does not apply to redemption.
“The decision is entirely up to BCCI or ICC,” Harmanpreet said on the eve of the series opener. “But as a player, if you have these things, you’ll be more engaged and more excited about the game. If you have a points system, it’s harder and it’s nice to have it.”
Currently, the women’s Ashes series uses a points system where four points are awarded for a Test (four for a win, two for a draw) and two points for a limited-overs match. Whoever scores the most points wins the Ashes. This system was first introduced for the 2013 series in England to keep the entire series relevant.
In 2021, a points system was also used for India’s tour of England for the first time outside the Ashes. India lost the series 10-6 by a point. India’s last all-format series (against Australia at home in December 2023-January 2024) did not use a points system where each format is treated separately.
It was also the last time India played an ODI as the focus is on the next T20 World Cup to be held in Bangladesh in October this year.
Sunday’s match will be India’s seventh ODI since the start of 2023. As far as next year’s ODI World Cup is concerned, they have already qualified automatically to host it. However, India had two separate camps in Bengaluru and Mumbai and played a few practice matches ahead of the South Africa series to shake off the rust of form.
“We are taking this as an opportunity,” Harmanpreet said. “We are playing more T20 games these days, but ODIs are something where we as players have more time to evaluate ourselves and even the situation. It is good for us to have more games where we can express ourselves.
“It’s good for us to have more time in between and to be able to play all three formats as players.”
Ahead of the first match against Harmanpreet, there was good news for India confirming that both Jemimah Rodrigues and Pooja Vastrakar are fit for selection. Rodriguez missed the recent tour of Bangladesh with a back strain, while the nature and status of Bhastrakar’s injury were not clear when the BCCI announced the squad.
