Elegant Indian opener Smriti Mandhana, who was recently named ICC Women cricketer of the year, will lead Team India in three-match T20I series against England.
Mandhana was named Indian skipper for the upcoming series against England after regular captain Harmanpreet Kaur was ruled out on Monday. The hard-hitting Indian skipper, also missed the ongoing three-match ODI series, is yet to recover fully from her ankle injury.
The all India women’s selection committee of the BCCI announced on Monday the 15-member Indian squad for the upcoming series. India’s ODI skipper Mithali Raj is also part of T20I squad.
“Harmanpreet Kaur has not yet fully recovered from her ankle injury and will continue her rehab at the NCA,” BCCI said in a statement.
Meanwhile, middle-order batter Veda Krishnamurthy has been recalled in Indian squad after being dropped for the recent tour of New Zealand alongside Priya Punia.
Power hitting batter Bharati Fulmali and left-arm pacer Komal Zanzad are also part of Team India. Harleen Deol, who replaced Harmanpreet in the ODI squad, has been axed.
The T20I series will be played in Guwahati from March 4.
India Women’s T20I squad: Smriti Mandhana (Captain), Mithali Raj, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Bharti Fulmali, Anuja Patil, Shikha Pandey, Komal Zanzad, Arundhati Reddy, Poonam Yadav, Ekta Bisht, Radha Yadav, Veda Krishnamurty, Harleen Deol