Shafali Verma earns maiden ODI, Test call-ups; Taniya, Shikha return
The BCCI has announced India Women's squad for the upcoming seven-match tour of England. Young Indian batter Shafali Verma has earned her maiden call up to the Indian ODI and Test squad. Meanwhile, Shikha Pandey, Ekta Bisht and Taniya Bhatia have also made the cut in all the squads. The impending tour comprises a one-off Test, three ODIs and as many T20Is.
A terrific opportunity for young Shafali
Shafali Verma rose to prominence in the 2020 Women's T20 World Cup. She racked up 163 runs at a strike rate of 158.25, and smashed a total of nine sixes. Her exploits helped India reach the grand finale. The 17-year-old was also the leading run-scorer in India Women's recent T20I series against SA. Shafali would want to replicate the performances in England.
Shafali set to make WBBL debut
Shafali is also set to make her Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) debut later this year in Australia. She has signed a contract with two-time champions Sydney Sixers. "Shafali has signed the contract with Sydney Sixers. I have had to give my consent too," her father, Sanjeev, told ESPNcricinfo. Shafali is expected to prove her mettle in Australia's premier T20 league.
Pandey, Bisht and Bhatia roped in
Fast-bowling all-rounder Shikha Pandey, left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht, and wicketkeeper-batter Taniya Bhatia, who were left out of the squads for the ODI and T20I series at home against South Africa, have been picked for all formats this time for the England tour. Moreover, Bhatia will likely be the wicket-keeper in the Test, India's first assignment in the longest format in nearly seven years.
Maiden international call-up for Indrani Roy; Sneh Rana returns
The uncapped Jharkhand wicket-keeper-batter Indrani Roy has earned her maiden international call-up. She was the leading run-scorer in the Senior One Day Trophy 2020/21, having amassed 456 runs at 76.00, and a strike rate of 86.52. Meanwhile, all-rounder Sneh Rana, who last represented India in 2016, returns to the squad. She scalped 18 wickets at 12.66 in the Senior One Day tournament.
Women cricketers who have played Tests before
Among the 18-member consolidated Test and ODI squad, only eight players have played a Test match before. These include Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jhulan Goswami, Punam Raut, Smriti Mandhana, Shikha Pandey, Poonam Yadav, and Ekta Bisht.
India Women Test and ODI squad
India Women Test and ODI squad for England tour: Mithali Raj (captain), Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur (vice-captain), Punam Raut, Priya Punia, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Sneh Rana, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Indrani Roy (wicket-keeper), Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Poonam Yadav, Ekta Bisht, Radha Yadav
A look at India Women T20I squad
T20I squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Richa Ghosh, Harleen Deol, Sneh Rana, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Indrani Roy (wicket-keeper), Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Poonam Yadav, Ekta Bisht, Radha Yadav, Simran Bahadur
England vs India: Here's the schedule
June 16-19: One-off Test, Bristol June 27: 1st ODI, Bristol June 30: 2nd ODI, Taunton (D/N) July 3: 3rd ODI, Worcester July 9: 1st T20I, Northampton (D/N) July 11: 2nd T20I, Hove July 15: 3rd T20I, Chelmsford (D/N)
