Smriti Mandhana to Captain India as Harmanpreet Kaur is Rested for Ireland ODI Series
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Mumbai, Jan 6 (NationPress) India has chosen to rest captain Harmanpreet Kaur and fast bowler Renuka Singh Thakur for the forthcoming three-match women's ODI series against Ireland, beginning on January 10 at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot.
With Harmanpreet unavailable, left-handed opener Smriti Mandhana will take on the role of captain for India, while seasoned all-rounder Deepti Sharma will act as the vice-captain. Smriti enjoyed a fruitful year in 2024 with the bat, scoring 736 runs in 21 T20I innings and accumulating 747 runs over 13 ODIs.
The series, which kicks off on January 10, with additional matches on January 12 and 15, marks India’s first international challenge of the new year. This will be the first time since 2006 that India faces Ireland in a bilateral women’s ODI series.
In light of Harmanpreet and Renuka being rested, India has brought in batter Raghvi Bist, who made her T20I debut against the West Indies last month in Navi Mumbai, and pacer Sayali Satghare, who was part of the squad that saw the hosts defeat New Zealand 2-1 in Ahmedabad last year.
Notably, India has not included opener Shafali Verma and pace-bowling all-rounder Arundhati Reddy for the ODI series against Ireland, as both are currently engaged in the Senior Women’s 50-over Challenger Trophy in Chennai.
The upcoming ODI series against Ireland is part of India’s efforts to refine their team combinations and identify players for their 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup campaign, which they will host later this year. This will mark the fourth occasion India hosts a Women’s ODI World Cup.
India’s squad includes: Smriti Mandhana (C), Deepti Sharma (VC), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Uma Chetry (wk), Richa Ghosh (wk), Tejal Hasabnis, Raghvi Bist, Minnu Mani, Priya Mishra, Tanuja Kanwer, Titas Sadhu, Saima Thakor, and Sayali Satghare.
