India have received a major boost ahead of their upcoming tour of South Africa, with Jemimah Rodrigues returning to the national setup across all three formats. The batter has been named in India’s Test, ODI and T20I squads for the full tour, which includes one Test, three ODIs and three T20Is.
Rodrigues had been out of action since August after suffering a hamstring tear during the Women’s Hundred. The injury forced her to miss the remainder of the tournament, the Women’s Asia Cup, the Asian Games and India’s recent white-ball series against Zimbabwe.
Her last appearance for India came in the one-off Test against England at Lord’s in July.
Pratika Rawal Returns to Test Squad
India have also included Pratika Rawal in the Test squad after she missed the historic Lord’s fixture due to a knee injury sustained during an India A match in Taunton.
Uncapped pacer Jintimani Kalita is another notable addition to the Test squad. The 22-year-old right-arm fast bowler from Assam recently made her ODI debut during India’s series against Zimbabwe.
The one-off Test will be particularly significant for Smriti Mandhana, who is set to captain India in the format for the first time.
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Changes Across India’s ODI and T20I Squads
Rodrigues’ return has also brought changes to India’s limited-overs combinations. Tejal Hasabnis, who featured in the Zimbabwe series, has missed out on the ODI squad.
India’s 17-member T20I squad includes three additional players from the group that featured against Zimbabwe: Amanjot Kaur, Renuka Singh Thakur and Sayali Satghare. Jintimani Kalita and Minnu Mani have not been included in the T20I squad.
Shafali Verma has been named vice-captain for the T20I series, while Deepti Sharma will continue as vice-captain in the Test and ODI teams.
India’s Tour of South Africa: Full Schedule
The tour will begin with the one-off Test in Gqeberha on December 9. The teams will then move to the ODI series, followed by three T20Is.
| Match | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| One-off Test | December 9 | Gqeberha |
| 1st ODI | December 16 | Paarl |
| 2nd ODI | December 19 | Cape Town |
| 3rd ODI | December 22 | Bloemfontein |
| 1st T20I | December 26 | Benoni |
| 2nd T20I | December 29 | Potchefstroom |
| 3rd T20I | December 30 | Potchefstroom |
India’s Squads for South Africa Tour
Test Squad: Smriti Mandhana (captain), Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Yastika Bhatia (wicketkeeper), Deepti Sharma (vice-captain), Sree Charani, Sneh Rana, Kranti Gaud, Nandni Sharma, Jintimani Kalita and Sayali Satghare.
ODI Squad: Smriti Mandhana (captain), Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Yastika Bhatia (wicketkeeper), Deepti Sharma (vice-captain), Sree Charani, Vaishnavi Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Nandni Sharma, Jintimani Kalita and Sayali Satghare.
T20I Squad: Smriti Mandhana (captain), Shafali Verma (vice-captain), Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur, Niki Prasad, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), G Kamalini (wicketkeeper), Anushka Sharma, Deepti Sharma, Sree Charani, Prema Rawat, Amanjot Kaur, Kranti Gaud, Nandni Sharma, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy and Sayali Satghare.
Rodrigues’ return adds experience and stability to India’s batting lineup ahead of a challenging overseas assignment. With a Test, ODI and T20I series scheduled, the South Africa tour will provide India with an opportunity to assess their combinations across formats.