Anjali Sarvani, a promising uncapped left-arm pacer, was chosen by the selectors on Friday for the upcoming five-match T20I series against Australia that will start on December 9 in Mumbai in place of injured all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar. In a statement released by BCCI secretary Jay Shah, Pooja, who captained India C in the Women’s T20 Challenger in Raipur, was “ruled out due to an injury and was not considered for selection.” Anjali, a 25-year-old Andhra left-arm medium pacer, made an impression with her disciplined bowling performance during India A’s runners-up finish in the Women’s Challenger earlier last month under the leadership of Poonam Yadav.
Anjali excelled against India D, finishing with 2 for 11 from her three overs to secure them a spot in the finals. She finished with a respectable economy rate of 5.50 and three wickets overall from four games. Devika Vaidya, a left-handed all-rounder for Maharashtra, will make her long-awaited comeback during the Australia series. The 25-year-old leg-spin all-rounder last played for her country against England in an ODI match in 2018. She first represented her country in a T20I match against South Africa in 2014. In India B’s four-wicket victory over India C in the T20 Challenger, Devika played a game-winning 27-ball 41.
Smriti Mandhana will serve as Harmanpreet Kaur’s assistant in the leadership position. Prior to moving to CCI for the final three matches on December 14, 17, and 20, India will play the first two T20Is at the DY Patil stadium on December 9 and 11. The series will serve as India’s preparation for the T20 World Cup, which starts on February 10 in South Africa.
Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh Thakur, Meghna Singh, Anjali Sarvani, Devika Vaidya, S Meghana, Richa Ghosh (wicket-keeper) and Harleen Deol.
