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India Women's World Cup squad announced: Harmanpreet Kaur to lead; no place for Shafali Verma
India's Women's World Cup squad has been unveiled. Harmanpreet Kaur will lead, while Shafali Verma will miss out.
India’s squad for the Women’s World Cup was unveiled on Tuesday, with Harmanpreet Kaur set to captain the side and Smriti Mandhana named as her deputy. Notably, Shafali Verma, regarded as one of the most explosive match-winners in white-ball cricket, has been left out of the 15-member squad.
The 2025 edition of the tournament, scheduled to be held in India, presents Harmanpreet and her team with a golden opportunity to script something special for home fans. The competition begins on September 30, with India opening their campaign against Sri Lanka.
India are still in pursuit of their maiden World Cup title. The closest they came was in 2017, when Mithali Raj’s team reached the final at Lord’s, only to fall short against England in a heartbreaking finish. Besides the World Cup squad, chief selector Neetu David and captain Harmanpreet also announced the team for the upcoming series against Australia.
"Personally, this tournament is very important for me. This is a home World Cup. Home World Cups for special for every player. I have a lot of experience batting at No.4, I am just looking to contribute to the team," Harmanpreet told reporters on Tuesday.
"We are really excited for the World Cup. We are having training camps. We are preparing ourselves mentally and physically," she added.
Why no Shafali Verma?
Shafali, the hard-hitting opener, last featured in a W-ODI for India in October 2024, but a dip in consistency led to her omission. While Neetu David did not directly elaborate on the reasons behind her snub, she emphasised that the doors remain open for Shafali's return.
"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," David added.
"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."
India's squad for the series against Australia: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Richa Ghosh (WK), Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare, Radha Yadav, Sree Charani, Yastika Bhatia (WK), Sneh Rana.
India's squad for Women's World Cup: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (Vice-captain), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Richa Ghosh (Wicketkeeper), Kranti Gaud, Amanjot Kaur, Radha Yadav, Sree Charani, Yastika Bhatia (Wicketkeeper) and Sneh Rana.
