India squad for Australia tour unveiled: Shafali Verma dropped; Harleen, Titas make a comeback

India has revealed their 16-player squad for the upcoming three-match women's series against Australia, set to kick off in December. Notably, opener Shafali Verma has been omitted from the squad following a string of underwhelming performances in the format. With a revamp expected at the top order, the team is gearing up for their tour down under and is ready to face the Australian challenge head-on.

Shafali has only managed 108 runs in 6 matches so far this year, not registering a half-century since 2022, and the management seems to have lost patience with the 20-year-old. 

Although she has had success in Test cricket and T20s, this is the second time in the space of the year that Shafali has lost her place in the ODI team, with her being dropped last December as well.

However, her comeback since her reappointment alongside Smriti Mandhana in June this year hasn’t borne rewards, with the attacking opening batter struggling in the 50-over format. With India due to host the 50-over World Cup next year, this decision to drop Shafali against the defending world champions will be a big blow to her expectations of opening in that crucial tournament.

In her replacement, Harleen Deol has earned a comeback to the national team setup, with Richa Ghosh also being called up for this ODI series. Alongside them, Minnu Mani, Titas Sadhu, and Priya Punia have also been chosen as the new additions to the squad following the 2-1 series win over New Zealand in October.

Alongside Shafali, Uma Chetry, Dayalan Hemalatha, Shreyanka Patil and Sayali Satghare are the players who have lost out on a spot in the ODI setup.

Harmanpreet Kaur will continue to lead the Indian team in the ODI format, despite question marks over her continued captaincy in the shortest format of the game after India’s group stage exit in the T20 World Cup in the UAE in October. Smriti Mandhana continues on as vice-captain.

The series, which is part of the ICC Women’s Championships, will take place over two matches at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane, before the finale of the series at the WACA in Perth.

Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Priya Punia, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Yastika Bhatia (WK), Richa Ghosh (WK), Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma, Minnu Mani, Priya Mishra, Radha Yadav, Titas Sadhu, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Saima Thakor.