Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced Harmanpreet Kaur as the new ODI captain for the upcoming limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka. The decision came hours after Mithali Raj announced her retirement from all formats of the game.
Earlier, there were speculations that opening batter Smriti Mandhana should be made captain of the ODI side. The selection committee showed faith in Harmanpreet and made her limited-overs captain. The veteran all-rounder was already leading the T20I squad.
Harmanpreet-led India will tour Sri Lanka for three T20Is and three ODIs. The series will begin on June 23. It will be India's first series after their early exit from the 50-over World Cup under the leadership of Mithali.
Harmanpreet has led India in five ODIs in the absence of Mithali. She has an 80 per cent win record in the 50-over format with four wins to her name.
Notable inclusions and exclusions
The notable inclusions in the squad include S Meghana who has been picked for both formats. On the other hand, Jemimah Rodrigues and Radha Yadav made their comeback to the T20I squads.
One big omission for the ODI squad is veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami. The Bengal fast bowler was also expected to announce her retirement after the completion of ODI World Cup in New Zealand earlier this year.
India's ODI squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia (wk), S Meghana, Deepti Sharma, Poonam Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Simran Bahadur, Richa Ghosh (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Harleen Deol.
India's T20I squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia (wk), S Meghana, Deepti Sharma, Poonam Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Simran Bahadur, Richa Ghosh (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh, Jemimah Rodrigues, Radha Yadav.
