India Women squad announced for ODI series against New Zealand, Harmanpreet retains captaincy

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has announced the 16-member India Women squad which will be taking on New Zealand for a three-match ODI series, scheduled to commence on October 24, 2024. Notably, all the three 50-over games will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

The selectors have backed Harmanpreet Kaur to lead the side after the Women in Blue's exit from the Women's T20 World Cup 2024 gave rise to some discussions whether she is the ideal candidate to take the team forward as far as long-term goals were concerned. As expected, Smriti Mandhana will be the deputy skipper. 

Eight of the 16 members selected played all three of India's group-stage games at the ongoing mega-event, including the likes of Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, and Shreyanka Patil, other than Harmanpreet and Mandhana. 

The two wicketkeeping slots have been filled by Uma Chetry and Yastika Bhatia, while Sayali Satghare, Tejal Hasabnis, Saima Thakor, and Priya Mishra all stand a chance of making their debuts for the national side.

🧵#TeamIndia squad for the three ODI series against New Zealand announced.#INDvNZ @IDFCFIRSTBank

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) October 17, 2024

The notable exclusions included Richa Ghosh, who was unavailable for selection due to her 12th grade board exams. Moreover, Asha Sobhana is currently recuperating from a knee injury and Pooja Vastrakar has been rested to manage the bowler's workload.

Also Read: Women's T20 World Cup 2024: Ellyse Perry provides update on Alyssa Healy's injury

India desperate to come back on track after T20 WC group-stage exit

The first group-stage game for India was against New Zealand at the ongoing global event. It was a complete rout as the Indians folded for a meagre 102 in pursuit of a 161-run target set by their opposition. It was truly a horror show with the bat as no Indian batter managed to cross 15 during an almost aimless run-chase. That defeat was one of the prime reasons for India to incur a huge dent to their net run rate and eventually get knocked out from the competition.

Meanwhile, the previous instance of a bilateral series played between the two sides dates back to 2022, when India were convincingly beaten 4-1 by the hosts.

India’s squad for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand: 

Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, D Hemalatha, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Uma Chetry (wk), Sayali Satgare, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Tejal Hasabnis, Saima Thakor, Priya Mishra, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil.