Teenage bowling prodigy Shabnam Shakil has been added to India's squad for the remaining matches of the ongoing series against South Africa. Shakil, a key member of India's U-19 World Cup winning team, was initially overlooked for the series. However, after the first two T20Is in Bengaluru, the selectors reconsidered their decision and handed her a maiden call-up to the senior team. Shakil's reputation as a pace bowler who can disrupt top-order batters likely played a role in this late selection. Her rapid rise through the ranks since the U-19 World Cup has certainly impressed the selectors.
“The Women’s Selection Committee on Thursday announced the addition of right-arm pacer Shabnam Shakil to India’s squad for all three formats for the ongoing multi-format IDFC First Bank series against South Africa,” BCCI said in an official media release.
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Shabnam Shakil earns maiden India call-up for South Africa series
Teenage bowling sensation Shabnam Shakil has received a well-deserved call-up to the Indian women's cricket team for the remaining matches of the ongoing series against South Africa. This comes after Shakil's impressive performances in the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024, where she represented the Gujarat Giants. At just 16 years old, Shakil turned heads by picking up four wickets in four WPL matches with a miserly economy rate of 7 runs per over. Her scalps included well-established international batters like Nat Sciver-Brunt, Alyssa Healy, and Chamari Athapaththu. These standout performances not only showcased her potential to excel on the international stage but also thrust her into the national spotlight. Shakil's inclusion in the squad is seen as a strategic move by the selectors. She can potentially contribute to managing the workload of India's established pace bowlers throughout the series.
Teenage pace bowler Shabnam Shakil has been rewarded for her outstanding performances in the Women's Premier League with a call-up to all three formats of India's ongoing series against South Africa. Initially overlooked, Shakil's impressive displays for the Gujarat Giants, where she bagged four wickets at a miserly economy rate, caught the selectors' attention. Shakil's inclusion adds depth and versatility to the bowling attack, especially with Pooja Vastrakar and Renuka Thakur spearheading the new-ball duties in the ODIs. She's been named in all three squads – ODI, Test, and T20I – although only the final ODI against South Africa remains on June 23rd as India currently leads the series 2-0. This isn't Shakil's first brush with the national team setup. Recently in Bengaluru, she participated in a specialized camp for pacers before the selection process for this series. She also featured in a warm-up match against the South African tourists as part of the Board President's XI team. Now, Shakil has a golden opportunity to potentially make her debut across all three formats, starting with the upcoming Test match on June 28th, followed by the three-match T20I series beginning on July 5.
India’s updated ODI squad for the three-match ODI series
Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (WK), Uma Chetry (WK), Dayalan Hemalatha, Radha Yadav, Asha Sobhana, Shreyanka Patil, Saika Ishaque, Pooja Vastrakar, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Priya Punia, and Shabnam Shakil
India’s updated Test squad for the one-off Test
Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Shubha Satheesh, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (WK), Uma Chetry (WK), Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Saika Ishaque, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Meghna Singh, Priya Punia, and Shabnam Shakil
India’s updated squad for the three-match T20I series
Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Dayalan Hemalatha, Uma Chetry (WK), Richa Ghosh (WK), Jemimah Rodrigues, Sajana Sajeevan, Deepti Sharma, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Asha Sobhana, Pooja Vastrakar, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, and Shabnam Shakil
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