BCCI Names India A Squads for England A Series; Sharma, Mani to Lead
The Board of Control for Cricket in India has selected the India A women's squads for an upcoming all-format home tour against England A across November and December 2026. The multi-format bilateral series features three Twenty20 matches, three One-Day fixtures, and a concluding Multi-Day contest, offering an important stage for emerging players to demonstrate their abilities. Twenty-three-year-old batter Anushka Sharma has been entrusted with the captaincy for both the Twenty20 and One-Day formats, with all-rounder Minnu Mani serving as vice-captain. Minnu Mani will assume the captaincy for the four-day Multi-Day fixture, supported by Tejal Hasabnis as vice-captain.
Limited-Overs Squad Composition and Key Inclusions
Spin-bowling all-rounder Shreyanka Patil, omitted from senior national rosters for the upcoming South African tour, achieved selection across all three representative teams. Patil previously represented the senior national team during the Asian Games final against Sri Lanka. All-rounder Amanjot Kaur, who returned to India's T20I squad against South Africa after a long injury layoff, was picked for the Twenty20 leg. Wicketkeepers G Kamalini and Shipra Giri earned selection across both white-ball squads, with Kamalini and Niki Prasad concurrently named to the senior Twenty20 squad facing South Africa. Fast bowler Kashvee Gautam secured selection in both white-ball squads, having last played for India in April 2026 against South Africa where she picked up one wicket in three games. The limited-overs contingent also includes recent Mumbai Indians WPL auction signing Sanika Chalke, joined by top-order batter Vrinda Dinesh, who showed strong form at the Women's Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament.
Multi-Day Lineup and Specialist Red-Ball Contenders
For the concluding four-day match, the batting department includes Priya Punia, who posted scores of 46 and 59 in an unofficial Test against Australia A, alongside opening partner Shubha Satheesh. Wicketkeeping duties for the long-format contest will be divided between Shipra Giri and Uma Chetry. The red-ball batting lineup also features Andhra batter Henreitta Perera, Goa batter Purvaja Verlekar, and Tanisha Singh. The bowling attack combines Shreyanka Patil, Saima Thakor, Akshita Bhagat, Uttarakhand left-arm spinner Amisha Bahukandi, Rajasthan medium-pacer Happy Kumari, and Shabnam Shakil.
Tour Schedule and Venue Itinerary
The tour begins with the three-match Twenty20 series hosted at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on November 30, December 3, and December 5. The series will subsequently shift to Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium for the three One-Day encounters scheduled on December 8, December 11, and December 14. The tour concludes with the standalone Multi-Day contest beginning on December 19 at the Wankhede Stadium. The bilateral series provides the next generation of Indian women cricketers an opportunity to make their mark. As many as 11 England A players, including Issy Wong, are set to feature across all formats on the tour, which begins in Pune on November 30, according to CREX. In December 2023, England A Women won the three-match T20I series 2-1 against India A Women at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, clinching the deciding game by two wickets on December 3, 2023, according to ANI News.