BCCI has announced the India women's 15-member squad for the upcoming T20I home series against Australia which will be kicking off from December 9.
Harmanpreet Kaur will be seen leading India's pack, however, their star pacer Pooja Vastrakar has been ruled out of the five-match T20I series due to an injury as she was not considered for selection.
Pooja, who led India C team in the Women's T20 Challenger in Raipur, was "ruled out owing to an injury and was not considered for selection," said a statement issued by BCCI secretary Jay Shah.
India's star bowling all-rounder Sneh Rana is another big name who will not feature in the all-important series against Australia.
The team will be led by Harmanpreet Kaur, while opener Smriti Mandhana will be her deputy. Usual suspects like Shafali Verman, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Deepti Sharma have also made the cut. Despite her latest public spat, spinner Rajeshwari Gaikwad’s name also finds a mention in the list.
The 25-year-old Andhra left-arm medium pacer Anjali impressed with her tidy bowling display in Poonam Yadav-led India A's runners-up finish in the Women's Challenger earlier last month.
Anjali was exceptional against India D and finished with figures of 2 for 11 from her three overs to clinch them a final spot. Overall, she bagged three wickets from four matches and returned with a tidy economy rate of 5.50.
The Australia series will also mark the return of Maharashtra left-handed allrounder Devika Vaidya after more than four years.
The 25-year-old leg-spin allrounder, who made her debut way back in 2014 in a T20I against South Africa, last made her international appearance against England in an ODI match in 2018.
Devika played a match-winning 27-ball 41 for India B in their four-wicket win over India C in the T20 Challenger.
While the first two matches will be played at the DY Patil Stadium, whereas the remaining three will be hosted at the Brabourne Stadium.
Australia remain the top ranked team in the ICC Women's T20I rankings, Harmanpreet Kaur-led India on the other hand is fourth in the rankings. The hosts will take the field for the first time since lifting the Women’s Asia Cup title in October.
The series will mark India's build-up to the T20 World Cup in South Africa beginning February 10.
Team India's squad for T20I series against Australia:
Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh Thakur, Meghna Singh, Anjali Sarvani, Devika Vaidya, S Meghana, Richa Ghosh (wk), Harleen Deol.
Net bowlers- Monika Patel, Arundhati Reddy, S.B. Pokharkar, Simran Bahadur
Women's T20I Series Schedule
| Match Date, Time | Women's IND vs Aus T20I Match Details | Match Venue |
| 9th December, 7:00 PM | India Women vs Australia Women, 1st T20I | D.Y. Patil Stadium |
| 11th December, 7:00 PM | India Women vs Australia Women, 2nd T20I | D.Y. Patil Stadium |
| 14th December, 7:00 PM | India Women vs Australia Women, 3rd T20I | Brabourne Stadium |
| 17th December, 7:00 PM | India Women vs Australia Women, 4th T20I | Brabourne Stadium |
| 20th December, 7:00 PM | India Women vs Australia Women, 5th T20I | Brabourne Stadium |
