Harmanpreet Kaur sees the historic first women's Test to be played at Lord's as a shot at redemption after India's T20 World Cup group-stage exit at the very same ground less than a fortnight ago.
India's six-wicket defeat at the hands of ultimate champions Australia on June 28 knocked them out of the tournament and left them with 11 days to regroup before taking on England in the four-day fixture starting on Friday.
"This Test match is a very big deal for us," Harmanpreet told reporters at Lord's on the eve of the match. "It will be very good for the team if we win it.
"Everyone at home is sad that we could not give our best at the T20 World Cup. We did well in some games but not overall. But at this Test match, we can make up for that. We can bring that confidence back.
"Cricket is like that. One day you feel great, the best team in the world, and then you feel low when things don't go your way. If we win, it will give us a lot of confidence and it will help us a lot in the upcoming tournaments."
Even if the match has been shoehorned into the English summer at a time that doesn't offer either side ideal preparation - between the end of the World Cup on July 5 and the third men's ODI between England and India on July 19 - the sense of occasion wasn't lost on 37-year-old Harmanpreet, who will be playing her eighth Test.
"Maybe it's late but not too late," she said. "Still I'm playing and still getting this opportunity to be part of this historic day so I'm really looking forward to this.
"It's a very big moment for all of us. As a captain and as a player, I'm really looking forward to this opportunity. As a kid we always dream about playing Test matches and playing in Lord's is one of the dreams. I'm so happy that we got this opportunity and the other girls are also very excited."
The short turnaround since the T20 World Cup has been even more challenging for England, who made it undefeated to the final before being outplayed by a formidable Australia side, giving the hosts just four full days in between matches.
Nat Sciver-Brunt, England's captain, was understandably emotional in defeat at the World Cup, having been unable to see her side lift the trophy on home soil. While the calf injury which kept her out of three group matches during the tournament was holding up well, she was "looking forward to standing in slip a bit and having a bat".
"The World Cup and everything that we managed to do still has mixed emotions because obviously the final result isn't what we wanted, but I'm so proud of everybody and everything that we were able to do throughout the tournament," Sciver-Brunt said.
"I'm sure there'll be time in the future for me to properly reflect on that, but at the moment that's where I am for the group… the change of format is great timing. If it was going to be four days between a series, at least a change of format would be good.
"We've got some fresh faces into our squad that are bringing some great energy. I'm sure the disappointment won't have left lots of people about what happened at the final, but we are looking forward to such a special week here at Lord's."
Of the T20 World Cup squad, six players who all had a key role in that campaign, will miss the Test. Charlie Dean, Dani Gibson and Freya Kemp are having their workloads managed after injuries which occurred prior to the T20 World Cup, while Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Sophia Dunkley and Linsey Smith were overlooked.
That leaves England with some tough choices from their squad of 15, including the other opening spot alongside Tammy Beaumont, who announced on Wednesday that this would be her 261st and last international match. Maia Bouchier has been in outstanding form for Hampshire and has a Test century to her name, while Emma Lamb has also played two Tests as opener with Beaumont.
Without Kemp and Gibson, England could look to allrounder Mady Villiers. Seamers Lauren Filer and Issy Wong were part of the T20 World Cup squad but didn't play a match, meaning they will be fresh, while Lauren Bell shouldered the pace-bowling responsibilities throughout the tournament. If Bell is rested, 18-year-old Tilly Corteen-Coleman could make her Test debut, partnering fellow left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone in the spin attack. The uncapped Lancashire duo Grace Potts and Ellie Threlkeld are also in the squad.
"We've had a lot of discussion about the XI," Sciver-Brunt said. "Workloads do come into it, which is why some people aren't here who were in the T20 squad. The ones who are here have put in a lot of work to be able to bowl for four days if we have to bowl four days."
India, too, have some new faces in their squad, one forced by an injury to top-order batter Pratika Rawal, who cut her knee and needed stitches after a fielding mishap playing against England A at Taunton last week. She was replaced by the uncapped Priya Punia, who will vie with Harleen Deol and Yastika Bhatia for a place at No. 3.
A welcome constant is N. Shree Charani, who was the leading wicket-taker at the T20 World Cup with 14 wickets at 8.35 and an economy rate of 5.85.
"Charani is one of our key bowlers, no doubt about it," Harmanpreet said. "She has brought a lot of certainty to the team. She is there to bowl all those crucial overs. Whenever the team needs a breakthrough, she is always there. It is very important for such players to be in the team. Players like her give a lot of confidence to me as a captain too."
India have won two of their last three Tests against England, dating back to August 2014, with Harmanpreet, Smriti Mandhana, Sciver-Brunt, Beaumont and Heather Knight as well as current England head coach Charlotte Edwards all playing in that match at Wormsley. The sides drew in Bristol in 2021 and India won at home in 2023.
Since that last match, India have beaten Australia and South Africa in Tests, although they lost their most recent meeting with Australia, by 10 wickets in March. England, meanwhile, defeated South Africa in 2024 and lost by an innings and 122 runs to Australia during last year's Ashes.
The tight timeframe between events notwithstanding, preparation time emerged as an issue once more, as it does around most women's Tests given that it is a format still so rarely played.
Beaumont put the problem into perspective upon announcing her retirement, when she said: "We all want to be really good at things, and one Test every two years puts a halt to that."
Harmanpreet added: "To be honest it's a bit challenging because we are not that used to playing red ball but we all are very excited about this game and we had four or five sessions where we all looked really good in the nets.
"This is something we are not used to but we are very excited. When you are excited about something you always give your best and we are really looking forward to tomorrow's game."
Sciver-Brunt believed the best way to maximise opportunities for women to play Tests was as part of multi-format series.
"As England, we're in a lucky place that we actually have played a lot more Test matches than some other countries," Sciver-Brunt said. "So I guess the answer is still, yes, we'd like to play more Test matches.
"I don't know how many days and months of the year that we would need to do that, and the landscape of the scheduling that goes on, that's way above my head. But, as players, whenever we get to play a Test match, it's so special and we love taking part."