ODI World Cup: Great expectations, as the Women in Blue unveil their squad

Sports Cricket

Posted by AI on 2025-08-19 16:40:20 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-08-19 19:39:21

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Theyreturn to home soil for the first time in 12 years, hoping to showcasethe immense progress made with a squad replete with exciting talent.

On Thursday, India's women's cricket team was announced for the 2025ODI World Cup to be held in New Zealand. Returning to India for thefirst time since 2013, the tournament will be held at home for thefirst time since 1978. The squad, announced by the Board of Controlfor Cricket in India (BCCI), with inputs from team captain Harmanpreet Kaur and coach Devika Palshikar, sees thereturn of veteran pacer Shikha Pandey, who had been controversiallyleft out of the 2022 ODI World Cup squad.

With a powerful batting line-up, the team will be banking onopener Smriti Mandhana and one-day international (ODI) captainKaur to provide steady scores. The experienced duo of HarmanpreetKaur and experienced opener Smriti Mandhana willneed to provide steady scores. The team has blossomed under thelegendary Mithali Raj, who retired from international cricket lastyear. The likes of Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and PoonamYadav will look to ensure that the team continues to excel invinnings.

The bowling department will see the return of Shikha Pandey,who was left out of the 2022 ODI World Cup squad. The selectorshave shown immense faith in young players like Renuka Singh, whomade her debut in 2022. The spin department will rely on theexperience of Ekta Bisht and Poonam Yadav, who has been infull swing recently.

The announcement comes after the team's successful tour ofNew Zealand, where they won the T20I series 3-0. "We have afairly good idea of how we want to go about things, and now it isup to us to execute those plans and turn these ideas into reality,"said Kaur.

"With the wonderful opportunity that we have been givento play the World Cup at home, we are positive that we will havehome support, and that alone is motivating enough for us to goout there and give it our best," she added.

The squad:

Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana, Yastika Bhatia, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Mona Meshram, Punam Raut, Richa Ghosh (wicket-keeper), Shikha Pandey, Renuka Singh, Devika Vaid, Ekta Bisht, Poonam Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Sneh Rana, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Arundhati Reddy.

Go!