India has unveiled a largely familiar squad for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, retaining the core group that reached the final of the Women’s T20 Asia Cup earlier this year.
Assam’s wicketkeeper-batter, Uma Chetry, has earned recognition as one of the Travelling Reserves for the prestigious tournament, marking a notable milestone in her cricketing career.
The World Cup squad features 14 players who were part of the Asia Cup squad, with only Uma Chetry and injured Shreyanka Patil making way for new inclusions.
Yastika Bhatia, the Mumbai Indians' third-highest run-scorer in the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024, has been included in the squad, though her participation is contingent on her fitness. Bhatia, who accumulated 204 runs in eight matches during the WPL, is currently recovering from a knee injury at the BCCI's National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. Shreyanka Patil, who suffered a fractured finger during the Asia Cup, is also under fitness assessment.
Tanuja Kanwar, who replaced Patil in the Asia Cup squad, is not included in the main squad but has been named among the Travelling Reserves along with Uma Chetry and fast bowler Saima Thakor. Batter Raghvi Bist and leg-spinner Priya Mishra, who were part of the India A squad that toured Australia, are named as non-travelling reserves.
Harmanpreet Kaur will continue to lead the side with Smriti Mandhana as her vice-captain. The batting lineup will be reinforced by Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Deepti Sharma, while Renuka Singh and Pooja Vastrakar will spearhead the fast-bowling unit. The spin department will be led by Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, and Shreyanka Patil.
India is placed in Group A for the World Cup, alongside Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The tournament, originally scheduled to be held in Bangladesh, has been relocated to the UAE due to the political unrest in Bangladesh.
The competition will kick off on October 3 in Sharjah, with the final set for October 20 in Dubai. India will commence their campaign against New Zealand in Dubai on October 4 and face Pakistan on October 6 at the same venue.
India’s Squad for Women’s T20 World Cup 2024:
Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, D Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Sajeevan Sajana.
Travelling Reserves:
Tanuja Kanwar, Uma Chetry, Saima Thakor.
Non-Travelling Reserves:
Raghvi Bist, Priya Mishra.