2023 Women’s T20 WC | Shikha Pandey makes surprise comeback to Indian team, Sneh Rana in Reserves

2023 Women’s T20 WC | Shikha Pandey makes surprise comeback to Indian team, Sneh Rana in Reserves

SportsCafe Desk

By SportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

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India Women have announced the team for the T20 World Cup to be held in February and Shikha Pandey has made a comeback while Sneh Rana is in reserves. They have also announced the team for the tri-series in South Africa scheduled earlier and Amanjot Kaur has been given a maiden India call-up.

With the Women’s T20 World Cup to be scheduled in February next year, India have announced their squad for the tournament. Shikha Pandey is a notable inclusion in the squad as she will return to the national side after playing against Australia in October 2021. Pooja Vastrakar has been also added to the team with ‘subject to fitness’. Pandey will join hands with Renuka Singh, Vastrakar, and Anjali Sarvani to script a title run for the side. 

Seamer Meghna Singh recently played in the Australia T20s at home and conceded runs at 13.66 an over in two games without taking any wickets.  As a result, the bowler has been added to the reserves list along with S Meghana and Sneh Rana. 

India have also announced the squad for the tri-series in South Africa and all the reserved players for the World Cup are included in the team. Pandey’s comeback was on the line as she had taken 11 wickets in seven matches with an economy of 4.28 in the senior women’s domestic T20 competition. Vastrakar has been recovering from an unspecified injury and has been away from the game since October 2022. 

The batting lineup doesn’t include surprises with Richa Ghosh being named the first-choice wicketkeeper. Yastika Bhatia will be the backup for the wicketkeeping duties and she can contribute with the bat in the middle order as well. 

However. For the tri-series against West Indies and South Africa, Punjab batter Amanjot Kaur has been given a maiden India call-up for her domestic form. She amassed 192 runs across six innings at a strike rate of 105.49. Wicketkeeper Sushma Verma also returned to the squad for the tri-series as she was the third highest run-scorer in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy with 237 runs at a strike rate of 105.80. 

India will open their World Campaign on February 12 against Pakistan while they will face  South Africa on January 19 in their first game of the tri-series scheduled before the ICC event. 

Squad for Women's T20 World Cup 2023: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Richa Ghosh (wk) Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Devika Vaidya, Radha Yadav, Renuka Thakur, Anjali Sarvani, Pooja Vastrakar, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Shikha Pandey

Reserves: S Meghana, Sneh Rana, Meghna Singh.

Squad for tri-series in South Africa: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Devika Vaidya, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Radha Yadav, Renuka Thakur, Meghna Singh, Anjali Sarvani, Sushma Verma (wk), Amanjot Kaur, Pooja Vastrakar, S Meghana, Sneh Rana, Shikha Pandey.

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