Used pitch being utilised for Test against India 'not ideal': Heather Knight

Bristol [UK], June 15 : England captain Heather Knight on Tuesday said that the pitch which will be used against India in the one-off Test is "not ideal" and she would have preferred to play on a better surface.
Knight revealed that the pitch will be used for the Test was previously used for Gloucestershire's T20 Blast fixture against Sussex last Friday.
"We'd much prefer to be on a fresh one but it is what it is. We found out last week, which obviously we tried to get changed, but it was a little bit too late for that to happen," ESPNcricinfo quoted Knight as saying.
"It's unfortunate, it's not ideal, we'd much rather be on a fresh one, but we don't know how it's going to play yet. It still could play very well. Generally, at Bristol you look at the deck, sometimes it looks not great but actually plays brilliantly. So yeah, look, it's not ideal but it is what it is and we're obviously going to have to perform as best we can on the wicket we're given," she added.
Further talking about the pitch, Knight said: "We don't know how it's going to play necessarily. Obviously slightly different with it being used but we're confident we've got the squad and the XI that we're going to pick to win this Test match."
"It's not something that we can change now. There's no point looking too much into how it will play, we'll obviously try to adapt as much as we can to the situation and how the wicket plays. We've got to go out there now and get our heads round playing on the pitch we've been given," she added.
Talking about the pitch, India captain Mithali Raj said: "We are here to play a match," she said. "Whatever strip we get, we will try and get a result out of it. That's what our thought process is. Whether it's a used wicket or a fresh wicket, as players and captain, I definitely want my team to get a result and for that it's important we put down our strategies accordingly."
India and England women will lock horns in a one-off Test beginning June 16 at Bristol. After that, both sides will square off in three ODIs and three T20Is.
Indian team is touring England for the first time after the 2017 50-over World Cup final. In that match, the Mithali-led side had to face a defeat at the hands of England.
"We don't want to look back. Most of them were part of the 2017 squad, so it was a good experience for them. But for us, we have a Test match to play tomorrow. It's good that we get to play all three formats in the series," said Mithali.
The Indian women's side is on a cusp of a record, if the team defeats England then they will achieve the world record for achieving the most successive Test victories (four) in women's cricket.
"You can't really predict the result of a Test match the moment you get on the ground. It's a four-day game. We will see it as it goes, the record hasn't crossed our minds," said Mithali.