New Delhi, Nov 11 — Anushka Sharma will captain India A in the T20 and one-day legs of the upcoming all-format home series against England A, while Minnu Mani has been handed the leadership of the multi-day side, said the BCCI on Wednesday.
As per the squads selected by the women’s selection committee, Minnu will also serve as Anushka’s deputy in the white-ball formats, while Tejal Hasabnis has been named vice-captain for the multi-day fixture.
The series features three T20s, three one-day matches and a multi-day game. Pune’s Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium will host the T20s from November 30 to December 5, with the action then moving to Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium for the one-dayers and the multi-day contest from December 8 to 19.
Off-spinner Shreyanka Patil and pacer Saima Thakor feature in all three squads, while all-rounders Kashvee Gautam (ODI and T20I series) and Amanjot Kaur (only T20s), along with young wicketkeeper-batter G Kamalini, have also been included. Amanjot, who has been included in the India squad for the T20I series against South Africa in December, will get more game time to be ready for her return to international action.
Meanwhile, Kashvee recently returned to action via the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy after recovering from a right knee injury. Batters Tanisha Singh and Sanika Chalke, along with all-rounder Prema Rawat and pacer Monica Patel, are included in the India A T20 squad.
The one-day squad sees wicketkeeper-batter Shipra Giri and left-arm spinner Amisha Bahukandi join in as well. The multi-day side has also undergone a considerable overhaul, with Amisha, Shipra, batters Shubha Satheesh and Purvaja Verlekar, and pacers Henreitta Perera and Happy Kumari as the new faces.
The series gives both teams a quick chance at a rematch. When India A toured England in June-July this year, the honours were evenly split between the two white-ball formats. India A won the three-match unofficial one-day series 2-1, while England A took the T20 series by the same margin.
India A squad for T20s: Vrinda Dinesh, Tanisha Singh, Sanika Chalke, Anushka Sharma (C), Niki Prasad, G Kamalini (WK), Shipra Giri (WK), Minnu Mani (VC), Amanjot Kaur, Shreyanka Patil, Vaishnavi Sharma, Prema Rawat, Saima Thakor, Monica Patel, Kashvee Gautam
India A squad for one-day matches: Vrinda Dinesh, Tanisha Singh, Priya Punia, Anushka Sharma (C), Niki Prasad, G Kamalini (WK), Shipra Giri (WK), Minnu Mani (VC), Tejal Hasabnis, Shreyanka Patil, Amisha Bahukandi, Shabnam Shakil, Saima Thakor, Akshita Bhagat, Kashvee Gautam
India A squad for the multi-day match: Shubha Satheesh, Priya Punia, Tanisha Singh, Purvaja Verlekar, Henreitta Perera, Tejal Hasabnis (VC), Shipra Giri (WK), Uma Chetry (WK), Minnu Mani (C), Shreyanka Patil, Saima Thakor, Akshita Bhagat, Amisha Bahukandi, Happy Kumari, Shabnam Shakil