Shafali Verma dropped as India Women announce squad for Australia ODIs

India Women batter Shafali Verma has been dropped for the upcoming One-Day International (ODI) series against Australia, starting December 5. Shafali has been in horrendous form in the 50-over format of late, having scored her last fifty in July 2022. 

Since 2023, Shafali has scored just 113 runs in eight innings, at an average of 14.13, and has gone past 30 just once. In the recent ODI against New Zealand at home, she started well with 33 off 22 in the first game but faded away in the next two as she could muster 11 (9) and 12 (11). 

Harleen Deol, Minnu Mani, Titas Sadhu and Priya Punia, who were not part of the New Zealand series, have been included in the 16-member squad led by Harmanpreet Kaur. Richa Ghosh, who missed the series at home due to her 12th standard board exams, is also back. 

The first two ODIs against Australia will be played at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane on December 5 and 8. The action will then shift to WACA, Perth, for the third and final match.

All these matches will be part of the ICC Women’s Championship, which is the pathway for an automatic qualification for the 50-over World Cup in India next year.

India’s squad for ODI series vs Australia: Harmanpreet Kaur ( c ), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Priya Punia, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Richa Ghosh (wk), Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma, Minnu Mani, Priya Mishra, Radha Yadav, Titas Sadhu, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Saima Thakor

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