India announced a 16-member squad for the five-match T20I series against Bangladesh. Among the talented known faces, Asha Sobhana and Sajana Sajeevan were able to earn their debut call-ups to the Indian side. The series will start on April 28 with all games set to be played in Sylhet.
Their inclusion comes on the back of impressive performances in the 2024 Women’s Premier League. Sobhana etched her name in history by becoming the first Indian cricketer to achieve a five-wicket haul in WPL, recording figures of 5/22 against UP Warriorz. With 12 wickets in 10 matches, she finished as the joint second-highest wicket-taker in the league, alongside Australia star Sophie Molineux.
Her terrific bowling ability was key for the Challengers in their hunt for the WPL trophy. The Kerala native has been around the domestic circuit for a while and now she finally has the chance to represent her country.
Sajeevan announced herself to the world in the opening game of the WPL 2024 when, on her debut, she smashed a six off the last ball to win the game for her Mumbai Indians side against Delhi Capitals. Playing lower down the order, Sajeevan scored 87 runs at a brisk pace of 158.18 – the second-best strike rate of the tournament.
The series against Bangladesh is going to be crucial for the Indian women’s team
The 16-member side will be led by captain Harmanpreet Kaur, with Smriti Mandhana acting as her deputy. The series will be crucial for both teams as they prepare for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 later this year to be played in Bangladesh. Below are the list of all players selected to represent India in this series.
India squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Dayalan Hemalatha, Sajana Sajeevan, Richa Ghosh (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Radha Yadav, Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Amanjot Kaur, Shreyanka Patil, Saika Ishaque, Asha Sobhana, Renuka Singh Thakur, Titas Sadhu.
