The Women’s Selection Committee has named India’s squads for an all-format tour of South Africa in December 2026, covering one Test match, three ODIs and three T20Is. Smriti Mandhana will captain the side across formats, with Deepti Sharma named as her deputy for the Test and Shafali Verma as vice-captain for the T20Is.
The Test squad of 15 players includes Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, wicketkeepers Richa Ghosh and Yastika Bhatia, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Kranti Gaud, Nandni Sharma, Jintimani Kalita and Sayali Satghare. The T20I squad of 17 features Niki Prasad, G. Kamalini as an additional wicketkeeper, Anushka Sharma, Prema Rawat, Amanjot Kaur, Renuka Singh Thakur and Arundhati Reddy alongside several players who also feature in the Test group. BCCI Honorary Secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed the announcement on November 9, 2026.
The three ODIs form part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2025-29 cycle, which determines qualification for the 2029 Women’s Cricket World Cup, adding significant weight to those matches. The Gqeberha Test will be only the second women’s Test staged at that venue, with South Africa having hosted their first women’s Test there against England in December 1960. The upcoming match will also be the fourth Test between India and South Africa women.
What is the full schedule for India women’s tour of South Africa in December 2026?
The tour opens with the one-off Test in Gqeberha on December 9. The ODI leg then follows, with the first match in Paarl on December 16, the second in Cape Town on December 19 and the third in Bloemfontein on December 22. All three ODI results will count towards the ICC Women’s Championship 2025-29 standings.
The T20I series rounds off the tour. The first T20I is scheduled in Benoni on December 26, while both the second and third T20Is are set for Potchefstroom on December 29 and December 30 respectively. The back-to-back fixtures in Potchefstroom bring the tour to a close.
|
No |
Date |
Match |
Venue |
|
1 |
09-Dec-26 |
Test |
Gqeberha |
|
2 |
16-Dec-26 |
1st ODI |
Paarl |
|
3 |
19-Dec-26 |
2nd ODI |
Cape Town |
|
4 |
22-Dec-26 |
3rd ODI |
Bloemfontein |
|
5 |
26-Dec-26 |
1st T20I |
Benoni |
|
6 |
29-Dec-26 |
2nd T20I |
Potchefstroom |
|
7 |
30-Dec-26 |
3rd T20I |
Potchefstroom |
Which players are notable inclusions in the T20I and ODI squads?
Niki Prasad and Prema Rawat are among the players named specifically in the T20I group, alongside Amanjot Kaur and Arundhati Reddy. G. Kamalini provides additional wicketkeeping cover in the shortest format. Renuka Singh Thakur, a key pace option, also features in the T20I setup.
The ODI squad includes Vaishnavi Sharma, who does not appear in the Test or T20I lists, making her presence one of the format-specific selections worth noting. Several players such as Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Sree Charani, Kranti Gaud, Nandni Sharma and Sayali Satghare are named across multiple formats for the tour.
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
