This is their own making. India could have moved on from her after the CWG22 and T20 WC 23 debacle. A finger spinner who can bat is the most common type of player in domestics and they haven't tried to nurture anyone. Shreyanka's injuries also didn't help when it comes to the RAO slot.
A Deepti deep dive to see if Deepti Sharma should still be an automatic choice for the Indian WT20 side.
N Sree Charani scored her first T20I runs today with her 7* and has made more boundary runs in T20Is than Deepti Sharma did since Jan 2025. Deepti Sharma hasn't hit a boundary in T20Is since July 2025.
Some pure bowlers/lower order batters from the 12 T20 WC sides to score more runs than Deepti Sharma since T20 WC 2024.
Jane Maguire
Nondumiso Shangase
Rachel Slater
Arundhati Reddy
Lou Little
Natalia Pervaiz
Shabika Gajnabi
Harleen Deol has scored more runs in one T20I innings than what Deepti Sharma has managed in the entire T20 World Cup cycle.
They might do well with the series shifting to Johannesburg (if weather permits), but these are all long standing problems of India in the format.
There's no sorting of the XI to solve this. They struggle on these kinds of slower tracks. Need a proper spin basher.
This series is one where they can try to play the additional batter in Anushka and see if she can combine with Shafali to be that sixth bowler. Even otherwise Shafali and Aman (when she is available) can combine to give four overs. It can't be worse than what current Deepti offers.
Unless you have proper batting allrounders in the top 6, the bowling heavy approach won't always work. With the six bowler option, you can't really trust the bowling allrounders and go hard too early.
On most days, India are likely to concede the same amount of runs with five regular bowlers as they would with six bowlers considering the resources they have. Six-bowler theory can be a match-by-match strategy rather than the default setting.
Matches like where they recovered from 40/3 to post 190+ in the 2018 edition is unlikely to happen if you exhaust your batting at 5. Even that botched chase in the 2023 would have effectively ended then and there when they were reduced to 28/3 in four overs.
India weren't playing six bowlers even in the lead up to 2024.
2018 (went with 4/5 bowlers) - Unbeaten in the Group; Semifinalists
2020 (5 bowlers) - Unbeaten in the Group; Runners-up
2023 (5 bowlers) - Semifinalists
2024 (6 bowlers) - Lost to both NZ, AUS; First round exit
The need for six proper bowlers in T20Is is overstated. With the dearth of allrounders and the higher ceiling of their batting, a team like India would rather err on the side of batting depth. Like they did in 2018/20/23 T20 WCs and unlike in the 2024 edition.
#SAvIND
Deepti's bowling has been poor too. Dropping her is one way to have balance. At this point, Anushka and Shafali can be as good/bad as her and can combine to be the sixth bowler if needed.
Amanjot can still be in the XI if they are going with five other bowlers. India's real issue is the perceived value of Deepti Sharma as an allrounder and a sure starter. They don't trust her with the bat and Shreyanka is the better offie. May be play just five proper bowlers and trust them.
▶️ They celebrated Deepti Sharma winning Wisden's Leading Cricketer. Everyone in the team should get appreciated for the hard work they put in.
Deepti's win and the celebration will inspire the younger players in the dressing room to achieve milestones in the future.
#SAvIND
▶️ Uma Chetry as the back-up keeper is about continuity from Australia. G Kamalini is fit now and they will look at how things go in the future
▶️ South Africa have a lot of match-winning allrounders. They are always competitive
#SAvIND
▶️ It's important to bring in Kashvee Gautam to T20Is. She can contribute in all three aspects
▶️ Vaishnavi Sharma (and other spinners) still in the plans. Wanted four pacers in South Africa
#SAvIND
Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur and South African skipper Laura Wolvaardt with the trophy ahead of the five match T20I series starting on April 17.
Lots of talk about allrounders in the Harmanpreet Kaur presser.
Summary 🧵
▶️ Amanjot Kaur is key for India's balance. Her injury and unavailability is an opportunity for young players
▶️ Anushka Sharma has been impressive in the WPL. She can contribute with the ball
📸: CSA
#SAvIND
Tebogo Macheke was part of the squad during the 2023 Tri-series (SA-IND-WI). Yet to make her debut.
#SAvIND
South Africa Women's Squad for the five-match T20I series against India
🚨 South Africa squad for the five-match T20I series vs India
▶️ Marizanne Kapp to miss the series as she continues her rehab from illness
▶️ Maiden call-up for Tebogo Macheke in place of injured Karabo Meso
▶️ Eliz-Mari Marx replaces Masabata Klaas
#SAvIND
England Centrally Contracted Players except the following are available for the start of the One Day Cup Women's Competition.
Workload management: Nat Sciver-Brunt, Lauren Bell, Amy Jones, Mahika Gaur, Charlie Dean
Injured: Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Sarah Glenn
Australia Women's Contracted players list for 2026 and 2027 season. First contracts for Lucy Hamilton and Chloe Ainsworth while Nicola Carey returns
Australia Women's Contracted players 2026-27
▶️ First contracts for Lucy Hamilton, Chloe Ainsworth
▶️ Nicola Carey (returns) IN
▶️ Alyssa Healy (retired), Tess Flintoff, Tayla Vlaeminck OUT
Melie Kerr on the record run chase: Very special. I think, one thing is seeing the growth of the women's game and how exciting that is. Through the 50 over World Cup, seeing the likes of Jemimah Rodrigues and her run chase against Australia, I think in the (semi) final Wolvaardt got a 150 (169), and there were teams chasing big scores over there and even though it wasn't us doing it, seeing that helps you believe that we're capable of doing it too. And for me, that was, probably, in my mind a little bit at the halfway stage...is that teams have chased big scores before, so there's no reason why we can't. And I wanted to, once I got in and got myself set, I felt as though it was my responsibility to take it deep and be there at the end.
Melie Kerr mentions Jemimah Rodrigues and the semi-final chase in the post match presser.
ECB T20 Hall of Fame Men’s shortlisted players: Ravi Bopara, Danny Briggs, Joe Denly, Samit Patel, James Vince, Luke Wright. Women’s shortlisted players: Charlotte Edwards, Kirstie Gordon, Heather Knight, Katie Levick, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt-Hodge
ECB launches T20 Hall of Fame. The inaugural inductees - two men, two women - will be named on May 15.
Women's shortlist: Charlotte Edwards, Kirstie Gordon, Heather Knight, Katie Levick, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt-Hodge
▶️ Melie Kerr dethrones Hayley Matthews to become the new number one ranked allrounder in T20Is. She ends Matthews' 29-month run.
▶️ Georgia Voll is the new number one batter as Beth Mooney loses her spot for the first time since Jan 2024.
Three different captains for Australia in the last 3 ODIs.
Alyssa Healy vs India, Mar 1
Sophie Molineux vs WI, Mar 27
Tahlia McGrath vs WI, Mar 29
#WIvAUS
With the IWC, there's something to gain even when the result is inevitable. With 8 teams qualifying, it might eventually come down to WI dragging themselves to 238/8 rather than getting bowled out for 150.
Kayla Reyneke!
Hits six off the last ball on T20I debut to win it ✅
Hits six off the last ball on ODI debut to win it ✅
#NZvSA
Voll and Wareham will be the 5th and 6th Georgias to feature for Welsh Fire ig. Davis, Elwiss, Hennessy, and Redmayne played for them previously.
Prestwidge, Redmayne, and Voll featured in the same XI for Brisbane Heat at some point iirc.