Keralite Asha Sobhana gets maiden call-up to ODI team

Keralite leg-spinner Asha Sobhana has been included in the Indian One-Day International (ODI) team for the series against South Africa. The 33-year-old from Thiruvananthapuram had become the oldest Indian woman to make Twenty20 International (T20I) debut during the recent tour of Bangladesh. Inmpresive performances in the two T20Is have earned Asha a maiden call-up to the Indian ODI team. Both Asha and another Keralite S Sajana are part of the T20I team for the series against South Africa.

The Women’s Selection Committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday announced India’s squads for the upcoming multi-format series against South Africa to be held in various venues from June 13 to July 9. Harmanpreet Kaur will lead the  team in the series that involves one Test, three ODIs, and the same number of T20Is. Smriti Mandhana will be her deputy in all three formats.

The Indian team will be playing a Test match against South Africa at home after a gap of 10 years. The one-off four-day Test will be played at Chennai from June 28 to July 1.

Shubha Satheesh, who suffered an injury during the one-off Test against England in Navi Mumbai in December, 2023, after scoring the fastest half-century in women's Tests for India, is back in the Test squad. She missed the subsequent one-off Test against Australia at the Wankhede Stadium. The selectors have picked batter Jemimah Rodrigues and pacer Pooja Vastrakar in all three squads subject to them clearing a fitness test. Saika Ishaque has been picked as standby.

The series will start with a warm-up match against Board President's XI at Bengaluru on June 13. The ODIs will be played in Bengaluru on June 16, 19, and 23 while the T20Is will be played in Chennai on July 5, 7, and 9.

Indian ODI squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues*, Richa Ghosh (wk), Uma Chetry (wk), Dayalan Hemalatha, Radha Yadav, Asha Sobhana, Shreyanka Patil, Saika Ishaque, Pooja Vastrakar*, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Priya Punia

Indian Test squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Shafali Verma, Shubha Satheesh, Jemimah Rodrigues*, Richa Ghosh (wk), Uma Chetry (wk), Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Saika Ishaque, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Pooja Vastrakar*, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Meghna Singh, Priya Punia

Indian T20I squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Shafali Verma, Dayalan Hemalatha, Uma Chetry (wk), Richa Ghosh (wk), Jemimah Rodrigues*, Sajana Sajeevan, Deepti Sharma, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Asha Sobhana, Pooja Vastrakar*, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy
Standby: Saika Ishaque
* The selection of Jemimah Rodrigues and Pooja Vastrakar is subject to fitness.
(With inputs from IANS)