Renuka back in squad, Shafali misses World Cup bus

India’s Shafali Verma. Pic/Getty Images; (right) Renuka Thakur

Riding on the confidence of beating England 2-1 in a three-match ODI series and 3-2 in a five-game T20I contest on their home turf recently, India women's team skipper Harmanpreet Kaur announced that the team is really excited and ready for the home ODI World Cup to be held in India and Sri Lanka, starting on September 30.

Despite the heavy rain in the city since Monday, former India left-arm spinner and national chief selector Neetu David, her team of selectors, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, head coach Amol Muzumdar and Kaur, all attended the selection committee meeting at the BCCI headquarters on Tuesday afternoon.

Chief selector Neetu David (left) and India captain Harmanpreet Kaur at the BCCI headquarters in Churchgate on Tuesday. Pic/Shadab Khan

‘Shortest selection meeting'

And when mid-day asked Kaur if it was one of the easiest meetings ever in recent years to pick a team for the big event, Kaur replied: "Yes, this was our shortest selection meeting and hopefully, it will be the best meeting too."

Delhi's attacking batter Pratika Rawal, 24, who scored 703 runs in 14 ODIs, including a century (154) against Ireland, got a chance in the 15-member squad ahead of Haryana's attacking Shafali Verma (644 runs in 29 ODIs), and while David backed Rawal's selection for the big tournament, she also clarified that Shafali remains in the scheme of things.

‘We have eyes on Verma'

"Shafali played the Australia ‘A' series. She's in the system, it's not like she's not. We've got our eyes on her. Hope she plays a lot more and garners experience, it'll help serve India in the 50-over format in the future. We want a long career from Shafali," David said at the post-selection press conference on Tuesday.
Also, fit-again pacer Renuka Singh Thakur's inclusion in the squad will boost the team's morale, felt the chief selector. She said: "Renuka has been out of action since March and missed the ODI tri-series in Sri Lanka and the England tour. She has been a precious player for us. She had some niggles and was out of the game, but is now available. She is [one of] our main players. This is a main event and it is great that she is a part of the team."

Ahead of the ODI World Cup, the Indian women's team are scheduled to play a three-match ODI series against Australia, starting on September 14 at New Chandigarh.

India's squad
H Kaur (c), S Mandhana (vc), P Rawal, H Deol, D Sharma, J Rodrigues, R Thakur, A Reddy, R Ghosh (wk), K Gaud, A Kaur, R Yadav, S Charani, Y Bhatia (WK), S Rana