Jemimah Rodrigues, Pooja Vastrakar named in India squads, subject to fitness

Batter Jemimah Rodrigues and allrounder Pooja Vastrakar have been named in India’s Test and white-ball squads for the upcoming home series against South Africa, but their selection is subject to fitness.

Rodrigues had missed the five-match T20I series in Bangladesh in April-May with a back injury and underwent rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. Vastrakar, however, had played all five games in Bangladesh and the BCCI media statement did not specify the nature of her injury.

Uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Uma Chetry was also included in all three squads. She replaced Yastika Bhatia who was out injured after playing just one T20I in Bangladesh. Chetry had also been part of the India’s Asian Games squad that beat Sri Lanka to win gold in Hangzhou in 2023.

Top-order batter Priya Punia, who last played for India in July 2023, earned a call-up to the Test side. Medium-pacer Arundhati Reddy, who has played 26 T20Is so far, was called up to the Test and ODI squads as well. However, fast bowler Titas Sadhu, who was part of the T20Is against Bangladesh as well as India’s last ODI and Test assignments (against Australia last year), missed out.

Punia had linked up with the India squad ahead of the one-off Test against Australia last year as cover for Shubha Satheesh.

Following a decent run in the WPL 2024, where she picked up eight wickets in nine games for Delhi Capitals, Reddy impressed with both ball and bat in the Senior Women Inter Zonal Multi-Day Trophy in April. She scored 174 runs, including two fifties, and took two wickets, in two games for South Zone.

Legspinner S Asha, who had made her T20I debut in Bangladesh, earned her maiden ODI call-up while D Hemalatha, who had made her comeback in that series in Bangladesh, could return to ODI action after almost two years. Hemalatha also retained her place in the T20I squad.

Harleen Deol, who was part of the squad for the ODIs and one-off Test against Australia in December-January, was left out. The other absentee from the ODI squad against Australia is left-arm spinner Mannat Kashyap.

South Africa’s all-format women’s tour of India will begin with a three-match ODI series, then move to the one-off Test, and end with the three T20Is. The ODIs, as well as a one-day warm-up game for the visiting side against a Board President’s XI side, will be played in Bengaluru, while the rest of the games will take place in Chennai.

The one-off Test wasn’t part of the ICC’s FTP originally. It was added since BCCI and CSA have both been trying to promote women’s Tests of late. This will be India’s third Test in seven months, having played against England and Australia in December last year, both at home.

India’s ODI squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues (subject to fitness), Richa Ghosh (wk), Uma Chetry (wk), Dayalan Hemalatha, Radha Yadav, Asha Sobhana, Shreyanka Patil, Saika Ishaque, Pooja Vastrakar (subject to fitness), Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Priya Punia

India’s Test squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Shafali Verma, Shubha Satheesh, Jemimah Rodrigues (subject to fitness), Richa Ghosh (wk), Uma Chetry (wk), Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Saika Ishaque, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Pooja Vastrakar (subject to fitness), Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Meghna Singh, Priya Punia

India’s T20I squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Shafali Verma, Dayalan Hemalatha, Uma Chetry (wk), Richa Ghosh (wk), Jemimah Rodrigues (subject to fitness), Sajana Sajeevan, Deepti Sharma, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Asha Sobhana, Pooja Vastrakar (subject to fitness), Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy
Standby: Saika Ishaque