Smriti Mandhana to lead India women in multi-format South Africa tour; squads announced

India women's cricket team captain Smriti Mandhana will lead the side across all three formats during the upcoming tour of South Africa, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announcing the squads for the Test, ODI and T20I fixtures.

The tour will also feature a three-match T20 International (T20I) series, with matches scheduled to be played on December 26, 29 and 30. Benoni will host the opening encounter, while the remaining two matches will take place in Potchefstroom.

Deepti Sharma has been appointed vice-captain of the Test and ODI teams, while Shafali Verma will serve as Mandhana's deputy in the T20I format.

The squads feature a combination of experienced players and younger talent. Wicketkeeper-batters Richa Ghosh and Yastika Bhatia have been included in the Test and ODI squads, while Ghosh and G Kamalini will be the wicketkeeping options for the T20I series.

The Test squad includes Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Richa Ghosh, Yastika Bhatia, Deepti Sharma, Sree Charani, Sneh Rana, Kranti Gaud, Nandni Sharma, Jintimani Kalita and Sayali Satghare.

The ODI squad features Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Richa Ghosh, Yastika Bhatia, Deepti Sharma, Sree Charani, Vaishnavi Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Nandni Sharma, Jintimani Kalita and Sayali Satghare.

For the T20I series, India have named Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur, Niki Prasad, Richa Ghosh, G Kamalini, Anushka Sharma, Deepti Sharma, Sree Charani, Prema Rawat, Amanjot Kaur, Kranti Gaud, Nandni Sharma, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy and Sayali Satghare.

The selection reflects India's preparations across formats ahead of the assignments in South Africa, with Mandhana set to lead the team in all three formats.