India have rested captain Harmanpreet Kaur and fast bowler Renuka Singh Thakur for the upcoming three-match women’s ODI series against Ireland, set to begin on January 10 at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot.
In Harmanpreet’s absence, left-handed opener Smriti Mandhana will be India’s captain, while senior all-rounder Deepti Sharma will serve as the vice-captain. Smriti had a productive 2024 with the bat – making 736 runs in 21 T20I innings and amassing 747 runs in 13 ODIs.
The three-match series, starting on January 10, followed by matches on January 12 and 15, is India’s first international assignment of this year. For the first time since 2006, India will be playing Ireland in a bilateral women’s ODI series.
With Harmanpreet and Renuka rested, India have included batter Raghvi Bist, who made her T20I debut against the West Indies last month in Navi Mumbai and pacer Sayali Satghare, who was in the squad when the hosts’ beat New Zealand 2-1 in Ahmedabad last year.
Interestingly, India have not included opener Shafali Verma and pace-bowling all-rounder Arundhati Reddy for the ODI series against Ireland, with the duo currently playing in the Senior Women’s 50-over Challenger Trophy in Chennai.
So far, Smriti Mandhana has captained Team India (Women) just once against the New Zealand in October 2024, in which the host team won by a margin of 59 runs. Thus, it will be a good chance for the southpaw to prove her mantle as the successor of 36-year old regular captain of Team India Harmanpreet Kaur.
The upcoming ODI series against Ireland continues India’s quest to fine-tune their combinations and zero in on their players who will be a part of their 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup campaign, which they will host later this year. It will be the fourth time India will be hosting a Women’s ODI World Cup.
India’s squad: Smriti Mandhana (C), Deepti Sharma (VC), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Uma Chetry (wk), Richa Ghosh (wk), Tejal Hasabnis, Raghvi Bist, Minnu Mani, Priya Mishra, Tanuja Kanwer, Titas Sadhu, Saima Thakor, and Sayali Satghare
(With IANS input)
