India announced a 15-member squad for next month’s T20 World Cup that will be held in Australia, with Bengal’s Richa Ghosh being the only new face in the side. 15-year old Shafali Verma, who has impressed in her short international career, will also be playing her first global event that starts from February 21.
Richa has been rewarded for her fine performances in the recent Women’s Challenger Trophy, in which she had scored 36 off 26 balls in one of the matches. Her innings had been studded with four fours and a six.
“See, in the past one year, we have taken five to six debutants. Earlier, the same team used to play but after 2017 ODI World Cup, a lot of new prospects have emerged. We feel we have nurtured five or six new players, who are playing now.
“Richa Ghosh is a new player and here the role of selectors increases,” chairman of women’s selection committee Hemlatha Kala told reporters at the press conference.
The Indian selection committee also named a 16-member side for the tri-series that will begin prior to the World Cup, with Nuzhat Praveen being added as the 16th member. The tri-series will begin from January 31 and also feature England.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur added that playing the tri-series before the World Cup will be a huge advantage. “As (Hemlata) ma’am mentioned, we have Richa, who did well in the Challenger Trophy and domestic cricket, so we will stick to our best XI. Before the World Cup, we will be able to decide our best XI.”
World T20 Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodriguez, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Veda Krishnamurthy, Richa Ghosh, Tania Bhatia, Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Rajeshwari Gaikwad, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy.
Tri-Series (16 member) squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodriguez, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Veda Krishnamurthy, Richa Ghosh, Tania Bhatia, Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Rajeshwari Gaikwad, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Nuzhat Parveen.