Home theatre: India's quest for glory
Explosive opener Shafali Verma did not make the cut while Renuka Singh Thankur who had been out of action due to injury was included in the squad for the ODIs against Australia as well as the global event that follows. Meanwhile, all-rounder Amanjot Kaur who is currently nursing a niggle at the BCCI Centre of Excellence has been rested for the Australia ODIs but is a part of the squad for the World Cup.
Shafali's exclusion meant Pratika Rawal will continue to open with Smriti Mandhana. The Haryana batter was dropped from the side late last year before making waves in the domestic circuit. However, when Shafali was picked for the England T20Is and the India A tour of Australia, she failed to make an impact. Chief selector Neetu said that the youngster is in the scheme of things and they are hoping that she will have a long career with India. "Shafali played the Australia A series. She's in the system, it is not like that she's not. We've got our eyes on her. Hope she plays a lot more and garners experience, it'll help serve India in the 50-overs format in the future. We want a long career from Shafali," Neetu said at the press conference on Tuesday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
an hour ago
- India.com
This Tournament Is Very Important For...: Harmanpreet Kaur Eyes Maiden World Cup Title On Home Soil
Hosts India have announced their squad for the upcoming Women's ODI World Cup 2025, which is scheduled to be played from September 30 to November 2. Harmanpreet Kaur is set to captain India for the first time in the Women's ODI World Cup and she hopes to lead them to their maiden title. Overall, this is the fifth ODI World Cup for Harmanpreet as she looks forward to what is a very important next few months for her and her side. "Personally, this tournament is very important for me. This is a home World Cup. Home World Cups are special for every player. I have a lot of experience batting at No.4, I am just looking to contribute to the team," said Harmanpreet in the press conference. "We are really excited for the World Cup. We are having training camps. We are preparing ourselves mentally and physically," he added. A notable omission for India is Shafali Verma who also missed out on a spot in the recent ODI series against England. The opener had returned to the T20I side in the same series and was a part of the India 'A' side against Australia 'A'. However, the selectors have opted for stability as the team heads into this all-important tournament. "She is playing for India 'A' in Australia. She is a part of the system. We are keeping an eye out for her. The more she plays, the more experience she will gain for the future," the Indian captain said. "Our team did well in England. We have been working on this squad for a long time now. I think the team we have picked is the best, so we don't want to play around with the team ahead of the World Cup. We just want Shafali to keep playing and gain some experience," she added. ALSO READ: Yuvraj Singh's Golden Advice To India Players For Women's ODI World Cup 2025 Notably, India have finished as runners-up twice, in 2005 and 2017, but are yet to claim the title. However, Harmanpreet believes her side has played enough cricket together and possesses everything needed to finally go all the way. "The same team played in the England series and we have been playing together for a long time now. Team looks quite balanced to me and hopefully, in both - Australia series and the World Cup, we will play our best cricket," she said. India squad for World Cup: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Yastika Bhatia, Renuka Singh Thakur, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud. Reserves: Tejal Hasabnis, Prema Rawat, Priya Mishra, Uma Chetry, Minnu Mani, Sayali Satghare
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
‘Hopefully, we will play our best cricket': Harmanpreet Kaur ahead of Australia series and World Cup
The Indian skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur, hopes to lead India to their maiden World Cup as she looks forward to what is a very important next few months for her and her side, as per the official website of the International Cricket Council (ICC). "Personally, this tournament is very important for me. This is a home World Cup. Home World Cups are special for every player. I have a lot of experience batting at No.4, I am just looking to contribute to the team," said Harmanpreet Kaur, who will captain India for the first time in the marquee tournament, as quoted from the official website of ICC. A notable omission for India is Shafali Verma, who also missed out on a spot in the recent ODI series against England. The opener had returned to the T20I side in the same series and was a part of the India 'A' side against Australia 'A'. However, the selectors have opted for stability as the team heads into this all-important tournament. "She is playing for India 'A' in Australia. She is a part of the system. We are keeping an eye out for her. The more she plays, the more experience she will gain for the future," said Neetu David, Chief Selector, India Women's Team. "Our team did well in England. We have been working on this squad for a long time now. I think the team we have picked is the best, so we don't want to play around with the team ahead of the World Cup. We just want Shafali to keep playing and gain some experience," David has finished as runners-up twice, in 2005 and 2017, but has yet to claim the title. However, Harmanpreet Kaur believes her side has played enough cricket together and possesses everything needed to finally go all the way. "The same team played in the England series, and we have been playing together for a long time now. Team looks quite balanced to me and hopefully, in both — Australia series and the World Cup, we will play our best cricket," the captain said.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
‘You'll have to wait for his chance': Ajit Agarkar on Shreyas Iyer's exclusion from Asia Cup squad
Following India's announcement of the Asia Cup squad, chief selector Ajit Agarkar stated that Shreyas Iyer did not find a spot in the squad, as we can pick 15 at the moment, and Iyer has to wait for his chance. The squad was announced during a press conference attended by T20I skipper Suryakumar and chief selector Ajit Agarkar, which was held after a selection meeting which also featured the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia. India will kick off their campaign against the UAE on September 10, while the high-voltage game against Pakistan is scheduled for September 14, with both fixtures set to be played in Dubai. India will play their final group stage fixture against Oman on September 19 in Abu Dhabi. "With regards to Shreyas, not his fault, nor is it ours. It's just that you can pick 15 and at the moment you'll have to wait for his chance," Agarkar told the media. Iyer ended up as the sixth-highest run-getter in IPL 2025 and had his best season, scoring 604 runs in 17 matches and innings at an average of 50.33, strike rate of 175.07 and six fifties. His best score was 97*. Despite a great IPL season, he missed out on finding a spot in the squad. Yashasvi Jaiswal has been named in the reserve players for the Asia Cup. Agarkar, commenting on his exclusion from the 15-member squad, said it's unfortunate, and Abhishek Sharma, alongside his batting, can also bowl, which gives India an extra option. "With regards to Yashasvi, I mean, it's just unfortunate again. You know, there's Abhishek Sharma, what he's done over the last few months or a year or so that he's been with the team, plus that he can bowl a little bit, gives us an option if required by the captain. One of these guys was always going to miss out. It's just unfortunate that Yashasvi might have to wait for his chance," he added. Jaiswal was the back-up opener ahead of Gill for the T20 World Cup last year. He was the backup as India wanted to open with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Having made 723 runs in 23 T20Is with a century and five fifties at a strike rate of over 164 throughout his career, Jaiswal's 559-run IPL 2025 season (in 14 matches with six fifties at SR of almost 160) brought back the leftie into T20I conversations. 'Will come into the equation if we need four spinners' All-rounder Washington Sundar has also been named in the reserve players. On his contention for the upcoming T20 World Cup next year, Agarkar said Sundar will always be in the scheme, and this is not the final squad for the World Cup. "He'll always be in the scheme of things. This is not the final squad for the World Cup. At the moment, we have three spinners in the squad. Two mystery spinners in Varun, Kuldeep and Akshar. They've been around for a while. Whether we need four spinners, he might always come into the equation, if and when that happens. At the moment, we thought Rinku was the spare batsman we might need. Obviously, Sanju and Jitesh are the two keepers who bat at different positions," Agarkar said. Indian T20 skipper Surya Kumar Yadav spoke about his discussion with wicketkeeper/batter Jitesh Sharma post T20 World Cup last year and said he's been a completely different cricketer. Sharma has done really well, which earned him a spot in the Asia Cup squad. Jitesh Sharma has been chosen as a backup wicketkeeper-batter for Sanju Samson. "I think post the T20 World Cup, we spoke a lot on how to approach, how to go about it. Then we spoke about not think about the milestones ahead. Follow your journey. I think he's been a completely different cricketer post that. He's taken one game at a time. All challenges slow and steady, the way he did in the IPL and also in the domestic tournaments, which he played. The T20S and the one-day, I think he's done really well and he's earned his spot again," Yadav said. Jitesh shone for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) win for the first time this year, scoring 261 runs in 11 innings at an average of 37.28 and a strike rate of 176.35. After the group stage, the tournament will proceed to the Super 4, where the top two teams from each group will qualify. If India finishes at the top of Group A, then all of their Super 4 matches will be held in Dubai. If India finishes second, then one of their Super 4 clashes will be held in Abu Dhabi and the remaining two in Dubai. The Super 4 stage will run from September 20 to 26. Dubai will host the final, which is scheduled for September 28. Team India squad for Asia Cup: Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku SinghReserve players: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal. (ANI)
