On Saturday BCCI announced the India women squad for the upcoming South Africa series. In this article, we will look at the T20 squad. The three-match T20I series will be played between March 20 and March 23 in Lucknow.
| Date | Match | Venue |
| March 20, 2021 | 1st T20I |
Lucknow |
| March 21, 2021 | 2nd T20I | |
| March 23, 2021 | 3rd T20I |
India Women’s T20I squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Harleen Deol, Sushma Verma (wicket-keeper), Nuzhat Parveen (wicket-keeper), Ayushi Soni, Arundhati Reddy, Radha Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav, Mansi Joshi, Monica Patel, C. Prathyusha, Simran Dil Bahadur
Harmanpreet Kaur: Leading from the front will be skipper Harmanpreet Kaur. The wounds of defeat in the World T20 final last year may be fresh in the captain’s mind and she would certainly look to start this year on a high.
Smriti Mandhana: The elegant southpaw from Maharashtra has over the years gained the reputation of a steady opener for India. She can change gears as required and has more often than not provided a solid start to the team.
Shafali Verma: The child prodigy has shown the world the kind of skill and talent she possesses. She is a fearless bat and is not afraid to take on the best of the bowlers.
Jemimah Rodrigues: As cool as a cucumber, this talented bat can wear different hats to suit the team’s requirements.
Deepti Sharma: Her all-around ability with bat and ball makes her one of the finest T20 players in the Indian squad.
Richa Ghosh: This young batter from West Bengal is still in her early days as a T20I player. This series will present a good opportunity for the middle order bat to display her talent.
Harleen Deol: Contributing with both bat and ball makes her a utility player on the side.
Sushma Verma: In the absence of Taniya Bhatia, who had a terrific T20 World Cup last year behind the stumps, Sushma Verma would look to make the most of the opportunity to cement her place back in the side.
Nuzhat Parween: This young wicket-keeper bat has taken some quick strides and would hope to get a game or two to showcase her abilities.
Ayushi Soni: She is a genuine all-rounder, who bats in the middle order and can bend her back to bowl at some quick pace. This girl from Delhi was a part of Supernovas outfit in the Women’s T20 Challenger that was played at Sharjah last year and had impressed her skipper Harmanpreet Kaur with her stellar performances.
Arundhati Reddy: She is a right-arm medium pacer and is known for bowling disciplined lines and lengths on a consistent basis.
Radha Yadav: The left-arm spinner is an experienced T20I bowler and has the reputation of hitting the perfect areas with the ball. She is also a live wire on the field.
Rajeshwari Gayakwad: Another left-arm spinner in the Indian repertoire. She has a wealth of experience and can get the better of any batter when she is on the song.
Poonam Yadav: One of the most destructive spinners in the Indian outfit is Poonam Yadav. Her leg spins are like dangling carrots which can tempt any batter to go for it and thus succumb to the trap.
Mansi Joshi: She is quick and can hurry on to any batter. With no Jhulan Goswami (retired from T20I cricket) and Shikha Pandey, a lot will depend on her to lead the pace attack.
Monica Patel: The 21-year old from Karnataka will look to capitalize on the opportunity by putting her best foot forward. It is her maiden call for India’s T20I side.
Prathyusha: If all goes well for the 22-year old right-arm quick then she could find herself making her debut for India. Irrespective of whether she plays or not, there is no doubt that the series would be a great learning experience for her.
Simran Dil Bahadur: This swashbuckling all-rounder from Delhi has shown a lot of promise in the domestic circuit. Many former Indian women cricketers hail her as one of the brightest players that India would get in the future. Her ability to use the long handle and bowl with genuine pace makes her a good all-rounder.
I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.