ICC WOMEN’S WORLD CUP, 2025
Shafali Verma has not been picked in India’s World Cup squad. © Getty
Shafali Verma has failed to make the cut in India’s squad for the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 at home. Renuka Thakur, meanwhile, has been included in the 15-member squad after a long injury layoff.
The pace spearhead will make her international comeback in the three-match ODI series against Australia in September ahead of the World Cup. Thakur was ruled out of contention for the tri-series in Sri Lanka post WPL 2025 with a foot injury, and hasn’t played since.
Pace-bowling allrounder Amanjot Kaur has also been included in what is a largely settled World Cup squad but has been rested for the Australia ODIs. Amanjot was ‘rested’ in the latter half of the ODI leg of the recent England tour owing to a back niggle. As Amanjot makes full recovery, Sayali Satghare has been included in the side for the Australia series. The Satghare-Amanjot swap is the only change between the two squads.
Verma had received the backing of head coach Amol Muzumdar after she finished the T20I leg of the England tour as the second-highest run-getter on her India comeback in the shortest format. She then registered scores of 36, 4 and 52 in the recently-concluded 50-overs leg of India A’s multi-format tour of Australia – her first assignment in the format since being dropped from the senior squad after the series against New Zealand in Ahmedabad in October last year.
“Shafali is currently playing in Australia for India A. She is in our system – it’s not that she’s not in our system,” said chief selector Neetu David. “We have our eyes on her as well. We hope that being more in the system, the more she plays, the more experience she gains and she will serve India in the future.”
In Verma’s absence, Pratika Rawal sealed the second opener’s slot alongside vice-captain Smriti Mandhana. Rawal tallied 703 runs at an impressive average of 54.07 in 14 innings since making her India debut against West Indies last December and has now edged out the more experienced opener.
Besides Rawal, it will be the maiden ODI World Cup for Jemimah Rodrigues as well who missed the cut in 2022 after a lean patch. The list of first-timers at this World Cup also includes no. 3 batter Harleen Deol, allrounders Amanjot and Arundhati Reddy, left-arm spinners Radha Yadav and Sree Charani, and pacer Kranti Goud who impressed with a six-fer in the last ODI in England .
Batter Tejal Hasabnis and Satghare miss out from the squad from India’s last ODI assignment, in England last month. The duo didn’t get a game on that tour. Middle-order batter Hasabnis. who made her debut in the home series against New Zealand, was on the A tour of Australia but only made 28 runs across three innings at no. 4 to miss out on a World Cup berth.
The first-two ODIs of the three-match series against Australia will be played in Mullanpur in New Chandigarh on September 14 and 17 respectively, while the final game is slated for Delhi on September 20.
Hosts India will kick off their World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka on September 30.
India Women’s World Cup 2025 Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Amanjot Kaur, Radha Yadav, Sree Charani, Kranti Goud, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Thakur
* Sayali Satghare will replace Amanjot for the three-match Australia series.
Stand-by: Tejal Hasabnis , Prema Rawal, Priya Mishra , Uma Chetry, Mnnu Mani, Sayali Satghare
© Cricbuzz
