New Delhi, October 7: A fresh chapter in Indian women’s cricket will have an Assam connection, with all-rounder Jintimani Kalita earning her place in India’s T20I squad for the upcoming three-match home series against Zimbabwe.
The inclusion marks a significant moment for Assam cricket, as Kalita gets an opportunity to step into the national setup alongside some of India’s biggest stars under newly appointed full-time white-ball captain Smriti Mandhana.
India will host Zimbabwe for three T20Is and three ODIs from October 16 to 28, with the T20Is scheduled in Raipur and the ODIs in Vadodara.
Kalita is among the two new faces in the T20I squad, alongside Niki Prasad, the captain of India’s World Cup-winning Under-19 team, who is in line for her senior international debut.
The selection comes at a particularly important juncture for Indian women’s cricket following Harmanpreet Kaur’s decision to step down as captain across all formats earlier this week.
Mandhana will take charge of the white-ball teams for the first time as full-time captain, with Shafali Verma named T20I vice-captain and Deepti Sharma appointed ODI vice-captain.
Kalita’s inclusion also adds another northeastern name to India’s women’s cricket pathway, underlining the growing contribution of the region to the national setup.
The T20I squad sees several changes from the Indian team that won gold at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games last month. Bharti Fulmali, Shreyanka Patil, Renuka Singh and Radha Yadav have been left out, with Minnu Mani, Anushka Sharma, Niki Prasad and Jintimani Kalita coming into the squad.
For Kalita, the Zimbabwe series now presents a major opportunity to make her mark on the international stage and strengthen Assam’s growing presence in Indian women’s cricket.
India vs Zimbabwe itinerary
T20Is — Raipur
• October 16 — 1st T20I
• October 18 — 2nd T20I
• October 20 — 3rd T20I
ODIs — Vadodara
• October 23 — 1st ODI
• October 25 — 2nd ODI
• October 28 — 3rd ODI
