Batsman Bharti Fulmali returns to India’s T20I squad for the first time since 2019, along with offspinner Shreyanka Patil for the Australia tour in February. Seventeen-year-old wicketkeeper G Kamalini and left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma, who were both part of the T20 squad that played against Sri Lanka in December last year, have earned ODI call-ups for the first time.
From the title-winning ODI World Cup squad, India have omitted backup wicketkeeper Uma Chhetri and left-arm spinner Radha Yadav, who recently lost their places in the T20 squad. Fast bowler Arundhati Reddy is not included in the ODI squad but has been retained for the T20s.
Meanwhile, Kashvi Gautam – who last represented India in the tri-series with Sri Lanka and South Africa in May last year – has been included in the ODI squad, while Harleen Deol, who is part of the ODI set-up, has been left out of the T20I squad. There are no other surprises in the teams, which will be led by Harmanpreet Kaur.
Fulmali’s international comeback follows his stellar performance in the ongoing WPL, where he scored 92 runs at a strike rate of 191.66 in four innings for Gujarat Giants. He also had a strong campaign last season, scoring 133 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 172.72 – a marked improvement from the inaugural WPL season in 2023, when he scored 64 runs in three matches at a strike rate of 120.75. Fulmali made his debut for India against England in Guwahati seven years ago and has played only two matches.
For Patil, this will be his first international match after the T20 World Cup in October 2024, which was also against Australia. After being sidelined for almost a year due to injury, she returned to competitive cricket in the Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) in September last year, when she was part of the title-winning Barbados Royals team. In this WPL, Patil has taken eight wickets in four matches, including a five-for against the Giants.
India will play three T20 and as many ODI matches on the white-ball tour between February 15 and March 1, while the lone Test will be played in Perth from March 6 to 9. BCCI said in a statement that the Test team will be announced later.
Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Renuka Thakur, Shree Charanani, Vaishnavi Sharma, Kranti Gaur, Sneh Rana, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), G Kamalini (wk), Arundhati Reddy, Amanjot Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Bharti Fulmali, Shreyanka Patil.
Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Renuka Thakur, Shree Charani, Vaishnavi Sharma, Kranti Gaur, Sneh Rana, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), G Kamalini (wk), Kashvi Gautam, Amanjot Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol.