Shafali Verma named Team India captain for U19 Women's World Cup

The All India Selection Committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced India’s squad for the U-19 Women’s World Cup scheduled to begin on January 14, 2023. The flamboyant opener Shafali Verma, who made her international debut in 2019 will be leading the Women in Blue in the inaugural edition of the tournament.

Wicket-keeper batter Richa Ghosh, who already played 42 matches for the senior squad is also part of the squad, while young prodigy Shweta Sherawat, who led the Indian team against New Zealand has been appointed as the vice-captain of the side. She has been brilliant in some of the domestic tournaments and was the leading run-scorer in the recently concluded U19 Challenger Trophy.

Ever since ICC decided to host the first-ever Women’s World Cup, the Indian management hosted multiple domestic tournaments to give all the players, who were in the reckoning for an opportunity, a chance to feature in the tournament next year. Cricketers like Soumya Tiwari, Sonam Yadav and many others grabbed the opportunity and are all part of the Indian squad.

Sonam Yadav was the highest wicket-taker in Challenger Trophy

Soumya, who was the vice-captain of the New Zealand series, was the fourth-highest run-scorer of the Challenger Trophy. The 17-year-old all-rounder scored 107 runs in four matches at a strike rate of 79.25. Meanwhile, Sonam Yadav, with seven wickets in four matches was the leading wicket-taker in the tournament and will be one of Shafali Verma’s go-to bowlers in the World Cup. 

Interestingly, the selection committee chose to keep Shikha Shalot on the list of standby players. The 18-year-old was the third-leading run-scorer of the Challenger Trophy but her recent form forced BCCI to take a harsh call. Against New Zealand, the Ghaziabad-born cricketer scored only 27 runs from three matches.

India U19 Squad for Women's T20 World Cup: Shafali Verma (C), Shweta Sehrawat (VC), Richa Ghosh (WK), G Trisha, Soumya Tiwari, Sonia Mehdiya, Hurley Gala, Hrishita Basu (WK), Sonam Yadav, Mannat Kashyap, Archana Devi, Parshavi Chopra, Titas Sadhu, Falak Naz, Shabnam MD.

Standby players: Shikha Shalot, Najla CMC, Yashashree