Key role: India will be well served by Pratika’s consistency at the top of the order.
| Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO: VIJAY SONEJI
The Women in Blue have never kissed a World Cup. Of any kind, actually – the 50-over one, or the 20.
The ODI World Cup, which starts on September 30 and is co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, gives them an excellent opportunity to set that record right.
The squad picked by the panel headed by chief selector Neetu David in Mumbai on Tuesday has the potential to do it. It was quite an expected 15. The wise women seem to have got it right, more or less.
The only question was if they would bring opener Shafali Verma in. If they went purely by talent and possibilities, she could have been pencilled in. But if they considered her recent performances in ODIs and the continuity of the team, Shafali was going to miss out.
After scoring an unbeaten 71 against Sri Lanka at Pallekele in 2022, Shafali has not made a fifty in her 12 innings since. She did well on her return to the T20 team though, on the tour of England. And she had been on fire on the domestic scene and the Women’s Premier League.
She is an exceptional talent and a delight to watch. But the selectors have indicated she will have to wait: they did not include her even among the reserves.
Shafali has not scored big in ODIs for some time.
| Photo Credit:
FILE PHOTO: Getty Images
Shafali’s replacement in the opener’s slot, Pratika Rawal, has been superb so far in her young career. She has scored 703 runs from 14 ODIs at 54.07, and she has formed a solid partnership with Smriti Mandhana.
India will be hoping that the duo will flourish at the World Cup too, so that things would be a bit easier for the likes of skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues and Harleen Deol.
The selectors have done the right thing by picking Kranti Goud, though she has played just four ODIs so far. Not many Indian seamers have caused as much excitement for years. She has pace and skill.
Renuka Singh’s return, after her injury-induced break, is also good news for the Indian attack. Her swing and experience should come in handy.
Another young bowler who impressed on the England tour, N. Shree Charani, has earned her place. As has the young all-rounder Amanjot Kaur.
Yastika Bhatia is the right choice as the second wicketkeeper, and she can be played as a pure batter, too. Apart from Charani, there are also the experienced spin trio of Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav and Sneh Rana.
Published – August 20, 2025 08:42 pm IST
