Seam-bowling all-rounder Kashvee Gautam is set for her first taste of international T20 cricket after being named in India’s 15-strong squad for next month’s five-match series in South Africa.
Gautam, 23, already has one Test and six ODIs to her name and featured in both formats on the recent trip to Australia. The selectors have now handed her a chance to test her skills with the shorter ball. She joins an established pace group of Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh and left-armer Kranti Gaud.
Wicketkeeper-batter Uma Chetry also returns, effectively as understudy to the in-form Richa Ghosh. Chetry replaces 17-year-old G Kamalini, who made her T20I debut at home against Sri Lanka in December but has not played since. Left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma and seam-bowling all-rounder Amanjot Kaur are the other names to miss out.
Kaur’s omission is no real surprise after modest returns in Australia – three runs in two innings and 30 runs leaked from three overs – while Sharma remained on the bench throughout that tour.
With Vaishnavi omitted, India’s spin department rests on vice-captain Deepti Sharma’s off-breaks, leg-spinner Shree Charani and the lively Shreyanka Patil.
The series begins with back-to-back matches in Durban on 17 and 19 April, moves to Johannesburg for fixtures on 22 and 25 April, and wraps up in Benoni on 27 April.
India squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani, Shreyanka Patil, Kashvee Gautam, Bharti Fulmali, Uma Chetry (wk), Anushka Sharma.
Series schedule
17 Apr – 1st T20I, Durban
19 Apr – 2nd T20I, Durban
22 Apr – 3rd T20I, Johannesburg
25 Apr – 4th T20I, Johannesburg
27 Apr – 5th T20I, Benoni
