Mumbai’s fickle monsoon could end up dictating whether the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) goes ahead with its scheduled press conference on Tuesday, August 19. The board is preparing to announce India’s squad for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, with the men’s Asia Cup 2025 squad expected to follow later.
However, with it raining cats and dogs in the city and with the government issuing a red alert, uncertainty looms over the in-person event at BCCI headquarters. If conditions remain unfavourable, the board may be forced to resort to a media release rather than a formal press briefing.
With headlines dominating the anticipation for the Men’s Asia Cup squad, BCCI is showing intent on giving the women’s team centre stage, with a home World Cup coming up. According to Gaurav Gupta of TOI, the board is prioritising the World Cup announcement, a significant move with the tournament less than six weeks away. India’s women open their campaign on September 30, and the selection panel, led by former cricketer Neetu David, is expected to finalise the 15-member squad in Tuesday’s meeting.
The players are coming off an intensive 10-day training camp at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, where the focus was on match simulations, strengthening, and sharpening skills under pressure.
Key concerns for Selectors:
The selection committee will have several tricky decisions on their hands.
- Shafali Verma’s form: The explosive opener’s dip in recent form has been concerning. Her recent scores of 52, 4 and 36 in ODIs and 41,3 and 3 are a testament to that. Verma’s experience is undoubtedly something that will help India; however, the emergence of batter Pratika Rawal, who has been in prolific form, would likely make a better case.
- Renuka Singh’s injury: India’s lead pacer has been recovering from a stress fracture and may not be fully fit. At her best, she is a match-winner, but keeping the long tournament ahead in mind, the overload could get to her. Next in contention would certainly be Kranti Goud, who was in sublime form as she ended with 6-52 in the last match against England. The selectors would also keep pacer Arundhati Reddy in mind.
- All-round balance: Amanjot Kaur’s return from injury has bolstered the squad’s depth. Alongside her, the likes of Deepti Sharma and Radha Yadav remain certain picks, but Kaur’s inclusion could mean Reddy missing out, as India may not need the extra pacer.
With obvious selections like Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, and wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh anchoring the batting, India’s core looks relatively settled. However, the tough call for the committee will be making these decisions while selecting a relatively balanced team for the prestigious tournament.
As the weather looms over the day’s proceedings, all eyes remain on the women’s team, who will not only carry the hopes of Indian fans at the World Cup but also face a crucial preparatory series against Australia just before the tournament.
The first two ODIs would be played in New Chandigarh on 14th and 17th September, while the final match will be played in Delhi on 20th September.
Yash Desai is a renowned journalist with over 10+ years of experience covering sports around the world. He began his career as a News Reporter in Delhi, India, and got an opportunity to cover several World events, including the Olympics, Paralympics, and World Games. He often felt that women’s sports are sidelined and given step-motherly treatment by the mainstream media. To bridge this gap and to build an equal playing field, Yash co-founded FemaleInSports and is currently working as a Lead Editor here.
