COMBINATION ANALYSIS
Follow UsIt has been over four months since the Women in Blue last stepped onto the field for the semi-final clash of the T20 World Cup against Australia at Newlands in South Africa.
While they suffered a heart-wrenching five-run loss that broke millions of hearts back home, the team and the fans regrouped quickly to celebrate one of the biggest spectacle in women's sport as the inaugural edition of the Women's Premier League kicked off.
With the 22 games enthralling the fans with top-quality cricket and some exhilarating performances, cricketing pundits across the globe touted the extravaganza to be the stepping stone for India's dominance at the international level in the coming decade.
However, as the Women in Blue are set to embark on their first tour since the league, the mysterious selection calls ahead of their Bangladesh white-ball series have grabbed plenty of headlines.
Six games have opened a pandora's box of uncertainties surrounding the future of some key players, and we try to decode a few of the baffling calls.
Is the Women's Premier League a barometer for selection?
On the first day of the tournament, with all eyes on Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Ash Gardner, a young 27-year-old spun a web around Gujarat's batting unit to showcase her skills on the biggest night of her career.
Only a couple of hours since the inception of the league, it had already unearthed a domestic star in Saika Ishaque, but the only question remained in every person's mind - Can she continue to rattle opposition as the competition progresses?
The 27-year-old was the backbone of Mumbai's bowling unit in the middle overs and finished the season with 15 wickets in 10 innings at an average of 16.26.
While she was expected to be picked in the T20I squad considering her stellar performances, the selectors had other ideas as they backed Rashi Kanojiya and B Anusha to replace Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Radha Yadav in the shortest format.
While the duo have been around domestic cricket for a fairly long time representing Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, they do not have the experience of bowling in pressure situations like Saika endured for the Mumbai Indians.
Radha Yadav's axe: Long overdue
And while we are on the topic of tweakers, let us discuss the possible reason behind dropping the two experienced players.
The 32-year-old Karnataka spinner is erring on the wrong side of age in women's cricket, and Radha's dismal returns since the 2020 T20 World Cup would have led to the selector's takings some bold decisions.
The 23-year-old has been one of the most inconsistent spinners in world cricket and has conceded at an economy rate of 7.1 runs per over since the mega event in Australia.
Among spinners of the top 10 nations who have bowled at least 25 overs, the Mumbai-born player's return with the ball has been the worst, leading to her downfall.
To make things worse for her, Meg Lanning rarely allowed Radha to complete her quota of four overs for Delhi Capitals, which heavily hampered her chances of securing her place in the squads.
Who is Uma Chetry?
Another massive news that got social media into a frenzy was the exclusion of Richa Ghosh from the touring party.
While there is no confirmation surrounding the reason for the same, since she averaged 49.80 and scored at a strike rate of nearly 150 with the bat in her last 10 T20Is, reports suggest she has been dropped on fitness grounds.
With Yastika Bhatia in sublime form in the WPL, she will don the gloves in Ghosh's absence, along with Uma Chetry named as the second wicket-keeper.
The Assam-born player recently impressed in the Women's Emerging Asia Cup held in Hong Kong and is the first player from the city to don the national colours.
Raised by a single mother, Chetry endured a challenging phase early in her career to pursue the sport, but the support from her immediate family and the coaches in Bokakhat Stadium ensured she graduated from age-group cricket to the Indian team.
Needless to say, all eyes will be on her if she makes it to the playing XI.
New-look pace attack
Shikha Pandey, who earned a recall to the Indian side for the T20 World Cup earlier this year, has been dropped yet again. Along with the senior speedster, Renuka Singh Thakur has also failed to find a spot in the squad.
And as usual, there is no explanation for the same, but according to reports, the Himachal-born player is suffering from an injury post her stint with the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
In their absence, Anjali Sarvani and Pooja Vastrakar will shoulder the responsibility of the side in the pace bowling department, with Meghna Singh as the reserve pacer.
The trio will have the support of Amanjot Kaur as the fast bowling option, but considering the sluggish nature of the surface in Mirpur, Harmanpreet would back her frontline seamers to get the job done.
ODIs squad welcomes familiar faces
While the T20 squad welcomes some new entrants, the fifty-over format witnessed some familiar faces returning to the team after a lengthy lay-off.
Sneh Rana, who lost her place to Minnu Mani in the T20 team, makes a comeback to the ODI side along with Priya Punia and Monica Patel. The left-arm seamer made her debut in a home series against South Africa in 2021 and since then has been out of the team.
The Delhi batter is also marking her return to the side after some impressive performances in the domestic season and Challenger Trophy prior to the WPL.
The 26-year-old also last featured against the Proteas women at home in 2021 and will be keen to make amends in her stop-start international career.
