Harmanpreet Captain, Mandhana Vice-Captain for Team
The BCCI senior selection committee has appointed Harmanpreet as captain and Mandhana as vice-captain, while G. Kamalini replaces Yastika Bhatia. The committee shows confidence in senior players like Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues.
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Battling with poor form, wicketkeeper Yastika Bhatia has been dropped from the team. In her place, 17-year-old young wicketkeeper G. Kamalini, who plays for Mumbai Indians in the WPL, has been given a chance. Yastika could not take advantage of the opportunities she got during the World Cup.
The Indian women's cricket team has been announced for the Asian Games to be held in Japan next month. The selectors have named Harmanpreet Kaur as captain and Smriti Mandhana as vice-captain.
Shreyanka Patil fit, Prema no chance
Spin all-rounder Shreyanka Patil has been included in the team after getting fitness clearance. She was ruled out of the entire tournament due to an ankle injury sustained against the Netherlands in the T20 World Cup. Prema Rawat, who was included in the World Cup squad in her place, did not get a chance this time. Renuka Singh and Arundhati Reddy will take charge of the pace attack, while Radha Yadav and Shreyanka Patil will be the main faces in the spin department.
Asian Games to be played in T20 format
The cricket event in the Asian Games will be organized in T20 format. Being among the top teams in the ICC rankings, the Indian women's team is expected to get a direct entry into the quarterfinals or knockout stage.
Like last time, this time too, the main competition of the Indian team is expected to be against Asian teams like Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The head coach and management are constantly monitoring the workload and fitness of the players.
India squad for Asian Games 2026
Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (Vice-Captain), Shefali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (Wicketkeeper), G. Kamalini (Wicketkeeper), Bharti Phulmali, Sree Charani, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Goud, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav, Nandani Sharma.