Anushka Sharma earns maiden call-up for India

Dubai: Anushka Sharma earned her first call-up to the Indian women’s cricket team on Tuesday, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unveiled the squad for a five-match T20I series in South Africa.

The tour will begin with matches in Durban on April 17 and 19, followed by two games in Johannesburg on April 22 and 25. The series will conclude in Benoni on April 27.

The 22-year-old all-rounder impressed during her stint with Gujarat Giants in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), scoring 177 runs in seven matches at an average of 25.28 and a strike rate of 129.19. Her best performance was a 44-run knock off 30 balls against UP Warriorz.

She also represented India A in the Women’s Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament in Bangkok, where she accumulated 116 runs in five matches, including a top score of 47.

Stay updated: Get the latest faster by downloading the Gulf News app - it's completely free. Click here for Apple or here for Android. You can also find it us on the Huawei AppGallery.

Harmanpreet Kaur will captain the side, with Smriti Mandhana serving as vice-captain. The batting lineup features key players such as Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Bharti Fulmali, Uma Chetry, Anushka Sharma, and wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh.

In the bowling department, spinners Shreyanka Patil and Shree Charani will join forces with the experienced Deepti Sharma, while the pace attack includes Renuka Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, and Kranti Gaud..

India’s squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (WK), Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Sree Charani, Shreyanka Patil, Kashvee Gautam, Bharti Fulmali, Uma Chetry (WK), Anushka Sharma.