Mumbai: Big-hitting opener Shafali Verma has made a comeback into India’s T20I team for the upcoming tour of England, starting on June 28. India will play five T20Is and three ODIs against England, who have a new captain and head coach in Nat Sciver-Brunt and Charlotte Edwards respectively.
Though Shafali is only named for the T20I leg of the tour, pacer Sayali Satghare has made it to both squads, adding some heft to India’s fast bowling stocks, depleted due to Renuka Singh Thakur and Titas Sadhu still nursing injuries.
Shafali had been out of the national set-up after last year’s T20 World Cup in the UAE, where India failed to enter the semi-finals. After strong showings in the domestic 20-over and 50-over matches, Shafali amassed 304 runs from nine innings with a strike rate of 152.76 for Delhi Capitals (DC) in WPL 2025, and finished at fourth place in the run-scorers’ charts.
That strong showing in this year’s WPL has propelled the Neetu David-led selection committee to bring back Shafali into the shortest format scheme of things. Apart from Shafali and Sayali, Sree Charani, Shuchi Upadhyay, and Kranti Goud are the newbies in the T20I team while Sneh Rana, Harleen Deol and Amanjot Kaur also find spots in the side after varying gaps.
For the ODIs, barring Sayali’s addition, the selectors have chosen to retain the side which won the recent tri-series in Sri Lanka, which featured South Africa as the third team. The three ODIs against England provide ample chances for India to fine-tune their combinations ahead of this year’s ODI World Cup, to be held on their home soil in September-October.
India’s five T20Is against England will be held at Trent Bridge, Bristol County Ground, The Oval, Old Trafford and Edgbaston from June 28 to July 12. The three ODIs between the two teams are slated to take place in Southampton, Lord’s and Chester-le-Street from July 16-22.
India’s women’s T20I squad for England tour: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (WK), Yastika Bhatia (WK), Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Shuchi Upadhyay, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, and Sayali Satghare
India’s ODI Squad for England tour: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (WK), Yastika Bhatia (WK), Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Shuchi Upadhyay, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, and Sayali Satghare
(IANS)
