All-rounder Shreyanka Patil has been listed in India A’s T20 party for next month’s trip to Australia, her first call-up since a sequence of injuries stalled her progress. The BCCI, in announcing the groups late on Thursday, added the familiar caveat: “Patil’s participation hinges on final clearance from the National Cricket Academy medical team.”
Left-arm spinner Radha Yadav will lead every format on tour – three T20s, three 50-overs fixtures and a solitary four-day match – with Minnu Mani again acting as deputy. Yadav captained Delhi in the recent domestic season and, in her own understated way, welcomed the responsibility. “It’s another chance to grow as a leader and to help a few youngsters settle at this level,” she said during a brief media call.
Key selections
• Patil, still only 22, hurt her right index finger during the 2024 Women’s Asia Cup, rushed back for the T20 World Cup in October and then missed the 2025 WPL with a stress reaction in the same hand.
• Leg-spinner Priya Mishra is also on the “subject to fitness” list for the 50-over and four-day squads after a side strain.
• Batter Shafali Verma and quick Titas Sadhu, both with senior-team experience, feature in all three groups.
Why the recall matters
Patil’s inclusion signals the selectors’ wish to restore balance to the second-string side. Former India coach WV Raman notes, “Shreyanka offers two skills and bowls at awkward angles; that variety becomes crucial on Australian pitches.” The off-spinner averaged a wicket every 17 balls in last year’s WPL, evidence enough that she was missed over the winter.
Schedule at a glance
7–11 Aug T20 series, Mackay
13–17 Aug List-A matches, Norths Ground, Brisbane suburbs
21–24 Aug Four-day game, Allan Border Field, Brisbane
The larger picture
India A toured Australia this time last year too; then, Mani captained a youthful side that lost the T20 leg 2-1 but drew the multi-day fixture. Selection convener Neetu David has kept a sizeable core from that trip, arguing consistency aids development. “We wanted to reward those who performed and tweak only where injuries forced our hand,” she explained.
Squads in full
T20s: Radha Yadav (capt), Minnu Mani (vc), Shafali Verma, D Vrinda, S Sajana, Uma Chetry (wk), Raghvi Bist, Shreyanka Patil, Prema Rawat, Nandini Kashyap (wk), Tanuja Kanwer, Joshita VJ, Shabnam Shakeel, Saima Thakor, Titas Sadhu.
50-over & four-day: Radha Yadav (capt), Minnu Mani (vc), Shafali Verma, Tejal Hasabnis, Raghvi Bist, Tanushree Sarkar, Uma Chetry (wk), Priya Mishra, Tanuja Kanwer, Nandini Kashyap (wk), Dhara Gujjar, Joshita VJ, Shabnam Shakeel, Saima Thakor, Titas Sadhu.
*Fitness yet to be cleared.
What to watch
Australian surfaces at Mackay and AB Field traditionally offer bounce, which should help Sadhu’s brisk seamers. At the same time, Yadav’s left-arm spin was effective on the previous trip; she took six wickets in the one-dayers at an economy just over four. How she juggles her own spells with Patil’s off-spin, if cleared, could shape the series.
For Patil, the next fortnight in rehab will decide whether an encouraging career picks up where it left off. “I’m ticking every box the physios set and would love to be on that plane,” she told local reporters in Bengaluru. Plenty of eyes, selectors’ included, will hope the final scan shows the same.
