Assam cricketer Uma Chetry to represent India against South Africa as BCCI announces squads for India women's multi-format series

Digital Desk: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced India's women's squad for their upcoming multi-format series against South Africa on Thursday. This highly anticipated series will see Harmanpreet Kaur leading the Indian team across all three formats, with Smriti Mandhana serving as her deputy.

The Indian squad features key players such as batter Jemimah Rodrigues and pace bowler Pooja Vastrakar, who have been included in all three squads. However, their participation will depend on their fitness status closer to the matches.

The series will begin with a three-match ODI series, followed by a single Test match, and will conclude with a three-match T20I series. The visiting South African side will start their campaign with a warm-up match against the Board President's XI in Bengaluru on June 13. The ODI series will also be hosted in Bengaluru, with the matches scheduled for June 16, 19, and 23. The series will then move to Chennai, where the one-off Test will be played from June 28 to July 1, and the T20Is on July 5, 7, and 9.

This one-off Test will be India's third in the past seven months, following their victories against England and Australia last December. These matches have highlighted India's growing prowess in the longer format of the game.

The ODIs in this series are part of the 2022-2025 ICC Women's Championship, a crucial pathway to the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025. The top five teams from this championship, along with host nation India, will secure direct entry to the World Cup.

The squads announced for the different formats are as follows:

ODI Squad:

Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues *, Richa Ghosh (WK), Uma Chetry (WK), Dayalan Hemalatha, Radha Yadav, Asha Sobhana, Shreyanka Patil, Saika Ishaque, Pooja Vastrakar *, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Priya Punia.

Test Squad:

Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Shubha Satheesh, Jemimah Rodrigues *, Richa Ghosh (WK), Uma Chetry (WK), Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Saika Ishaque, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Pooja Vastrakar *, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Meghna Singh, Priya Punia.

T20I Squad:

Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Dayalan Hemalatha, Uma Chetry (WK), Richa Ghosh (WK), Jemimah Rodrigues *, Sajana Sajeevan, Deepti Sharma, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Asha Sobhana, Pooja Vastrakar *, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy.

This series promises to be an exciting showcase of women's cricket, with India looking to build on their recent successes and continue their momentum against a strong South African side.