Nandni Sharma earns call-up for T20 World Cup

Nandni Sharma has earned her maiden call-up to the national team as she has been included in India's 15-player squad for the upcoming 2026 ICC Women's T20 World Cup, set to be played in England from June 12 to July 5. The 24-year-old pacer from Chandigarh was the joint-highest wicket-taker in her maiden season of the Women's Premier League, returning 17 wickets in WPL 2026 for Delhi Capitals.

The squad also sees the return of wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia and all-rounder Radha Yadav in the side, while Anushka Sharma, Uma Chetry and Kashvee Gautam have been left out. Kashvee missed out as she was unavailable due to an injury to her right knee.

The same squad will play in the three-match T20I series preceding the T20 World Cup. The squad, to be led by Harmanpreet Kaur, was announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, in Mumbai, on Saturday (May 2).

Harmanpreet, who has been part of the Indian squad since the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup, will lead the side for the fifth time in the global tournament. She was the top-scorer for India in the recently-concluded series in South Africa.

India's spin attack has been beefed up with the inclusion of Radha Yadav. The four-spin attack also includes Deepti Sharma, Shree Charani and Shreyanka Patil - all three of whom were among the more successful bowlers in the South Africa series.

India, the reigning champions of the 50-over World Cup, haven't enjoyed the best of runs in T20Is in recent months. Since the 2024 T20 World Cup, they have won 13 out of 21 matches, which includes series wins in England and Australia. However, this year, they have won only 3 out of 8 T20Is, with four of the losses coming in the recently-concluded five-match series against South Africa.

India's World Cup campaign is set to kickstart on June 14, against Pakistan in Birmingham. Placed in Group A, India will face Netherlands, South Africa, Bangladesh and Australia in the group stage. The top-two teams from each of the two groups will qualify for the semifinals which are set to be played at The Oval.

The Indian squad for the World Cup will assemble for a training camp before they head to England for a three-match T20I series and a one-off Test match.

Meanwhile, Nandni has also been picked in India's Test squad for the first-ever Women's Test to be played at Lord's, starting July 10, following the World Cup. The selectors have also backed the uncapped duo of Harleen Deol and Shree Charani. While Chetry, Kashvee, Vaishnavi Sharma and Amanjot Kaur have been left out from the squad that played in Australia, Yastika has been handed a recall.

Click here to read article