New Delhi, Jan 17 (IANS) The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday announced India’s women’s squads for the upcoming tour of Australia, with spinner Shreyanka Patil making her return to the T20I side after a long injury layoff. The multi-format tour will include three T20 matches, three One-Day Internationals, and a one-off Test starting on February 15. Harmanpreet Kaur will lead India in both the ODI and T20I formats, with Smriti Mandhana continuing as vice-captain, while the Test squad will be named at a later date.

The highly anticipated multi-format series between India Women and Australia Women is scheduled to take place from February 15 to March 9, 2026. The tour will commence with the T20I series, featuring the first match at the Sydney Cricket Ground on February 15, followed by the second T20I at the Manuka Oval in Canberra on February 19, and concluding with the third match at the Adelaide Oval on February 21.

Following the T20Is, the focus will shift to the ODI series, beginning on February 24 at Allan Border Field in Brisbane. The teams will then travel to Hobart’s Bellerive Oval for the second and third ODIs, scheduled for February 27 and March 1, respectively. The tour will culminate with the prestigious one-off Test match, a four-day contest set to be played from March 6 to March 9 at the Perth Stadium.

The T20I series against Australia will be crucial preparation for the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to be held in June. India’s T20I squad features a mix of experienced players and exciting young talent. The batting line-up includes the explosive Shafali Verma along with consistent performers such as Jemimah Rodrigues.

Shreyanka , who last represented India at the 2024 T20 World Cup, returns to the T20I setup after missing action for nearly 14 months due to injuries to her shin, wrist and thumb. Richa Ghosh and G Kamalini have been named as the wicketkeeping options for both white-ball formats.

India’s T20I squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Renuka Thakur, Sree Charani, Vaishnavi Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Sneh Rana, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (WK), G Kamalini (WK), Arundhati Reddy, Amanjot Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Bharti Fulmali, Shreyanka Patil

India’s ODI squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Renuka Thakur, Sree Charani, Vaishnavi Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Sneh Rana, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (WK), G Kamalini (WK), Kashvee Gautam, Amanjot Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol

-- IANS

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