Less than six weeks before the Women’s World Cup begins on home soil, India have named a 15 that leans on recent form rather than reputation. The headline is Shafali Verma’s absence, yet the group looks settled, with only a couple of places still open to debate. Below are the three issues that dominated yesterday’s announcement.
1. Shafali left on the fringes
Consistency has trumped explosive promise. Since moving past Shafali last autumn, the Mandhana–Pratika Rawal partnership has rattled off 1006 runs at an average touching 78, including four century stands. Rawal’s numbers – 703 runs, average 54.07, strike-rate 87 – come with the added bonus of ten handy overs if required.
Shafali did everything she reasonably could. A blistering 527 runs for Haryana in the winter one-day championship, topped by 197 off 115 against Bengal, caught the eye. The WPL kept that noise going: 304 runs at 152 for Delhi Capitals made her the leading Indian scorer. Even so, she was overlooked for June’s tri-series in Sri Lanka and the July ODIs in England, and the recent ‘A’ tour of Australia – scores of 52, 4 and 36 – didn’t shift opinions.
Chair of selectors Neetu David put it plainly: “We have an eye on Shafali, want her to have a long career.” The message is that the door stays ajar; for now, India prefer the quieter reliability of Rawal and the flexibility of Yastika Bhatia, who can keep wicket as well as cover the top order. The risk, of course, is a subdued powerplay. Rawal accumulates, Mandhana attacks – a workable plan, but one that places extra pressure on the vice-captain to set the early tone.
2. WPL graduates force their way in
This is India’s first 50-over World Cup of the WPL era, and the league’s fingerprints are clear. N Shree Charani had eight ODIs under her belt when the season began; Kranti Goud just four. Neither had played in the tournament until this year, yet both impressed scouts quickly. Charani’s Player-of-the-Series return in the 3–2 T20 win over England – 10 wickets at 7.46 – sealed her ticket. Goud, meanwhile, offered tidy seam-up spells and lower-order hitting in just eight WPL appearances, answering India’s long-standing search for a seam-bowling all-rounder.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur noted that domestic exposure is starting to shorten the gap between potential and performance. “You can tell who has had time in front of full houses,” she said after the squad was read out, crediting the WPL for sharpening skills under lights and television scrutiny.
3. Bowling balance looks clearer, if still a touch light on pace
The selectors resisted a late temptation to bring back an extra quick, sticking instead with three frontline seamers plus the off-spin depth of Deepti Sharma and Charani. Poonam Yadav’s recall gives India a second wrist-spinner alongside Sneh Rana, a pairing designed for middle-over control. The concern is outright speed: Meghna Singh and Goud both hurry batters, yet neither consistently cracks 120kph. On truer home pitches that may be acceptable; away from them, India could lean heavily on spin once again.
Where the squad stands
Batting depth is solid, the spin unit looks nuanced, and the fielding – an achilles heel for years – has quietly improved during recent tours. Leaving out Shafali removes a box-office name, but the XI that walks out on opening night will be one most observers could have predicted a month ago. The call is calculated rather than conservative.
World Cup campaigns are rarely decided by selection panels alone, yet they often set the tone. India have chosen coherence over headline value; now the cricket has to vindicate that calm approach.
