Team India Squad Announced For South Africa Tour With Two Major Returns

The Board of Control for Cricket in India, commonly known as the BCCI, has officially announced the squad for the Indian women cricket team across all three formats for the upcoming tour of South Africa scheduled in December. During this crucial and exciting tour, the Indian team is set to play one Test match, a three-match ODI series, and a three-match T20I series against the host nation South Africa. The team will be led by star player Smriti Mandhana, under whose leadership a strong and balanced squad has been selected by the selectors. The chosen squad features a great mix of experienced campaigners and promising young faces, providing incredible depth to the bench strength.

Two Major Players Make Welcome Returns to Squad

The biggest and most reassuring news for the Indian team ahead of this South African tour is the return of Jemimah Rodrigues. Jemimah Rodrigues had been out of action for the Indian team due to an injury and was undergoing rehabilitation. Having fully recovered and regained her fitness, she has successfully returned to the squad across all three formats, which will Notably bolster the Indian batting lineup, while apart from Jemimah, another notable addition to the team is the return of all-rounder Amanjot Kaur. Amanjot has been handed an opportunity specifically in the T20 squad, where her all-round abilities could prove to be extremely valuable for the team.

Full Squads Announced for All Three Formats in South Africa

According to the official information released by the BCCI, the squads for the various formats for the South Africa tour are as follows:

Test Squad: Smriti Mandhana (Captain), Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Yastika Bhatia (wicketkeeper), Deepti Sharma (vice-captain), Sri Charani, Sneh Rana, Kranti Gauda, Nandini Sharma, Jintimani Kalita, Sayali Satghare.

ODI Squad: Smriti Mandhana (Captain), Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Yastika Bhatia (wicketkeeper), Deepti Sharma (vice-captain), Sri Charani, Vaishnavi Sharma, Kranti Gauda, Nandini Sharma, Jintimani Kalita, Sayali Satghare.

T20 Squad: Smriti Mandhana (Captain), Shafali Verma (vice-captain), Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Niki Prasad, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), G. Kamalini (wicketkeeper), Anushka Sharma, Deepti Sharma, Sri Charani, Prema Rawat, Amanjot Kaur, Kranti Gauda, Nandini Sharma, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Sayali Satghare.

Complete Schedule for India and South Africa Series

The comprehensive schedule for this much-anticipated tour to be played in December has been laid out as follows:

• Only Test Match: December 9, St George Park
• First ODI Match: December 16, Paarl
• Second ODI Match: December 19, Cape Town
• Third ODI Match: December 22, Bloemfontein
• First T20I Match: December 26, Benoni
• Second T20I Match: December 29, Potchefstroom
• Third T20I Match: December 30, Potchefstroom

Impressive Record for Team India on South African Soil

Looking at the statistics, Team India holds a very good and impressive record in South Africa. The last time Team India toured South Africa for an ODI series was back in 2018, where the Indian team registered a resounding 2-1 series victory. In total, the Indian women team has played 11 ODI matches on South African soil, winning 6 matches, losing 4, while one match ended in a no result. However, in the T20 format, Team India suffered a heavy defeat during their previous encounters against South Africa, losing the T20 series 1-4. Overturning that previous defeat and seeking redemption will be a major and crucial goal for the Indian team during this tour.

Indian Team to Play a Test Match in South Africa After Two Decades

The biggest highlight of this tour will undoubtedly be the Test match, as the Indian team will be playing a Test match in South Africa for the first time since the year 2002. This will be only the second Test match in the history of the Indian women cricket team on South African soil. Earlier in 2002, a historic Test match was played between the two teams at Paarl, which the Indian women team won comprehensively by a massive margin of 10 wickets. Playing red-ball cricket under South African conditions once again will present a fresh and exciting challenge for the Indian players.