England v India: first women’s T20 cricket international – live

What do you get for beating the world champions? An even tougher test a few days later. England started their T20 World Cup build-up with a 2-1 series win over the holders New Zealand; now they face the 50-over world champions, India, in an intriguing three-match series that begins at a sweltering Chelmsford.

Most people have India as second favourites behind Australia to win the World Cup, so this is a litmus test for both teams. But while neither team will want to go into the World Cup on the back of a series defeat, winning and losing is only part of the story. Cricket is an individual game within a team sport, and there are places up for grabs in both teams.

By the time the series finishes at Taunton on Tuesday, Charlotte Edwards and Amol Muzumdar should know their XIs to start the World Cup.

Tonight’s match begins at 6.30pm.