Jemimah Rodrigues returns to the India squad in all three formats for the December tour of South Africa, and Deepti Sharma will be Smriti Mandhana’s deputy in the Test and ODI squads. The BCCI announced the squads on Monday (November 9). The squads cover one Test, three ODIs and three T20Is. Mandhana will captain India in all three formats and lead the Test side for the first time. She leads the team in one Test, three ODIs and three T20Is against South Africa. The trip is her first overseas assignment in charge. Shafali Verma stays on as T20I vice-captain.
Rodrigues’ last India appearance came in the one-off Test at Lord’s in July. A hamstring injury at the Women’s Hundred kept her out for four months. Despite her return, she is not part of the leadership group in any format.
Mandhana took over the captaincy after Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down. Deepti deputised in ODIs against Zimbabwe and Shafali in T20Is. For South Africa, Deepti adds the Test deputy role, and Shafali keeps the T20I post. Harmanpreet is named in all three squads. Rodrigues missed the Zimbabwe series through injury.
Amanjot Kaur comes back to the T20I group, having been unavailable since February. Jintimani Kalita gets a first Test call-up after debuting in ODIs against Zimbabwe. Renuka Singh Thakur misses out on the Test squad but keeps her spot in the T20I side.
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The T20I group includes Niki Prasad, Anushka Sharma, Prema Rawat and Arundhati Reddy. Sneh Rana is named in the Test squad, while Vaishnavi Sharma features in the ODI squad. Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol and Yastika Bhatia are also in the Test and ODI squads.
Richa Ghosh and Yastika Bhatia are the two wicketkeepers in the Test and ODI sides. In the T20I squad, Ghosh is joined by G. Kamalini.
Mandhana, Shafali, Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh are named in all three squads. Sree Charani, Kranti Gaud, Nandni Sharma and Sayali Satghare also appear across all three formats.
The tour starts with a one-off Test at Gqeberha, which is India’s first-ever Test against South Africa. India play three ODIs and three T20Is as well on the all-format trip, which takes place in December 2026. The ODIs are in Paarl, Cape Town and Bloemfontein between 16 and 22 December, before the T20Is on 26, 29 and 30 December in Benoni and Potchefstroom.
South Africa will be India’s last international assignment before the ICC Women’s Champions Trophy. India hosts the tournament from 14 to 28 February, and it is a T20I event.
India’s Test Squad: Smriti Mandhana (C), Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Richa Ghosh (WK), Yastika Bhatia (WK), Deepti Sharma (VC), Sree Charani, Sneh Rana, Kranti Gaud, Nandni Sharma, Jintimani Kalita, Sayali Satghare.
India’s ODI Squad: Smriti Mandhana (C), Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Richa Ghosh (WK), Yastika Bhatia (WK), Deepti Sharma (VC), Sree Charani, Vaishnavi Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Nandni Sharma, Jintimani Kalita, Sayali Satghare.
India’s T20I Squad: Smriti Mandhana (C), Shafali Verma (VC), Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur, Niki Prasad, Richa Ghosh (WK), G. Kamalini (WK), Anushka Sharma, Deepti Sharma, Sree Charani, Prema Rawat, Amanjot Kaur, Kranti Gaud, Nandni Sharma, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Sayali Satghare.