Indian Women's Cricket Team Announced for Australia Tour; Harmanpreet Kaur to Lead

New Delhi, November 19: The Indian Women’s Selection Committee on Tuesday announced a 16-member squad for the upcoming tour of Australia, where the team will play a three-match ODI series. Harmanpreet Kaur will lead the side, while Harleen Deol makes her return to the national team after nearly a year. Opener Shafali Verma has been left out of the squad.

Shafali Verma, who managed just 108 runs in six matches this year with a top score of 33, has been excluded alongside four other players—Uma Chetry, Dayalan Hemalatha, Shreyanka Patil, and Sayali Satghare—who were part of the team that secured a 2-1 series victory against New Zealand last month in Ahmedabad.

Harleen Deol last played for India in December 2023 and was not included in the squads for the home series against South Africa and New Zealand earlier this year.

The first two ODIs will take place at Allan Border Field in Brisbane on December 5 and December 8, followed by the final match at WACA Ground in Perth on December 11. This series is part of the ICC Women’s Championship.

Indian Squad for the ODI Series Against Australia

Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (Vice-Captain), Priya Punia, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Yastika Bhatia (Wicketkeeper), Richa Ghosh (Wicketkeeper), Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma, Minnu Mani, Priya Mishra, Radha Yadav, Titas Sadhu, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Saima Thakor. 

This tour is seen as a critical part of India’s preparations for the ICC Women's Championship and an opportunity to refine their squad for upcoming global tournaments.