Ahead of the India tour of Australia 2026, set to begin in the mid of February, India have handed maiden call-ups to five players. India has been a good team in the red-ball format, winning both of their recent Tests against Australia and England. The selectors have decided to bring some fresh faces into the Test team, naming five new additions to the squad, totaling seven players for potential Test debuts, making their intention very clear to invest in the next generation of red-ball talent in women’s cricket.
Sayali Satghare
Sayali Satghare, the Indian fast bowling all-rounder has been around for quite a while and has been impressive with her performances. She has only featured in 3 ODIs for India and has picked up 3 wickets in her short stint. In List A cricket, she has scored 666 runs at an average of 20.81 from 51 matches, including a magnificent ton against Arunachal Pradesh in the 2023-24 Senior Women’s One Day Trophy, displaying her ability to thrive in pressure situations. She is also handy with the bowl as she picked 56 wickets in her campaign. Sayali has also been quite impressive in the ongoing Women’s Premier League (WPL) for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, picking wickets in the powerplay. She could be a key addition to strengthen India’s pace bowling unit, as she adds quality and precision to India’s bowling.
Vaishnavi Sharma
Vaishnavi Sharma, the young Indian left-arm orthodox spinner had recently made her international debut in the T20I series against Sri Lanka, and she picked up 5 wickets at an economy of 6, impressing the cricketing world. She was also picked by Mumbai Indians in the WPL and impressed on her debut with economical and effective returns of 1/20 (4). In List A cricket, she has been impactful with the ball by picking up 33 wickets in 15 matches, reflecting she has the ability to break strong partnerships and to provide breakthroughs for her side. She will be a crucial asset for the national side considering her ability to bat in the middle order and her ability to tighten India’s spin bowling unit.
Kranti Gaud
Kranti Gaud, the Indian pacer, had been in great form recently and she played a crucial role in India’s heroics at the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup. Kranti has featured in 19 international matches for India, and she has picked up 25 wickets at an economy of 6. In the domestic circuit, she had her breakthrough season in the 2024 Senior Women’s One Day Trophy. She represented Madhya Pradesh in the tournament, and she picked up 17 wickets including a match-winning 4-fer in the final against Bengal. Gaud is known for her fiery pace and her ability to trouble batters with the quickness of the ball. She can prove to be a sensational player in the red-ball format as in conditions that favour pacers, she could be lethal with those kinds of lengths and pace.
Amanjot Kaur
Amanjot Kaur is a good seam-bowling all-rounder who was also a key part of the Indian side that won the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup. In her international career, she has scored 429 runs from 28 innings at a decent strike rate, giving much needed support at the latter phases of the innings. She has also picked up 27 wickets at an economy of 6 and she has the ability to pick wickets in the crunch moments of the game. She had a fantastic outing in her ODI debut match as she picked up 4 wickets for 31 runs, which is the second-best bowling figure by an Indian on ODI debut. In the domestic circuit, she has played for Punjab, Chandigarh, India A, and North Zone, with a notable performance of over 190 runs in six innings during the 2022 Senior Women’s T20 Trophy. She is a middle order batter who possesses great technical ability, and she also specializes in death bowling. She could be one of India’s most reliable players in Test cricket, considering her cool temperament which goes relatively well with the format.
Pratika Rawal
Pratika Rawal is a left-handed top order batter who was a crucial component in India’s batting unit in the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup. In her international career, she has scored 1110 runs from 23 innings at a strike rate of 83. In the domestic circuit, she has been of the most consistent batters that has represented Delhi and Railways. She scored 411 runs at a 68.50 average in the 2023-24 Senior Women’s One Day Trophy. She has displayed great technical ability with the bat, showcasing her ability to anchor the innings and see her side through. Considering her temperament and calm approach, she could potentially be India’s most reliable batter in the longest format of the game.
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