Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh are set to overlook out on India’s fifth T20I towards Australia in Mumbai on December 20 as each should report back to Bengaluru for a girls’s U-19 camp earlier than the staff flies out to South Africa for the inaugural version of the Women’s U-19 World Cup.
Sportstar understands that the camp shall be held from December 19 to 24. Ahead of the inaugural version of the ICC occasion, the India’s U-19 staff will play a five-match T20 collection towards South Africa between December 27 and January 4 subsequent yr and thereafter, there shall be a few warm-up video games.
With the Neetu David-led choice committee naming Shafali because the captain of the U-19 staff, the staff administration and the Board imagine that it is vital for each to get sufficient sport time with the U-19 aspect, in order that they’ll get into the groove earlier than the event begins on January 14 subsequent yr.
As per the rules by the International Cricket Council, each Shafali and Richa are eligible to function within the U-19 World Cups, however ever for the reason that U-19 gamers began coaching earlier this yr, neither Richa nor Shafali had been a part of any of the camps or tournaments as they each had been busy with their worldwide commitments.
It is, nonetheless, believed that this being a first-time event for the U-19 women, the selectors determined to incorporate skilled campaigners like Shafali and Richa as they really feel that the duo’s presence would assist the U-19 staff. Both of them have been with the India senior staff for fairly some time and have featured within the ICC occasions earlier than.
“When both of them were eligible, there was no question of leaving them out because this is a young team and the presence of two expericed campaigners will bolster the team’s chances in the World Cup,” a supply within the BCCI mentioned. “The dates of the U-19 World Cup were also not clashing with senior women’s T20 World Cup, so the selectors and the management felt that they should go ahead with the two…”
Another issue that was thought-about was the truth that with the senior girls’s staff, too, enjoying its T20 World Cup in South Africa in February, Shafali and Richa’s expertise would come in useful. “Since they will be in South Africa from December, it will help them get a hang of things,” the supply mentioned. “The selection committee thought that their experience of playing th U-19 World Cup will also benefit them ahead of the T20 women’s World Cup and that’s a great opportunity…”
With Shafali taking on because the captain, Delhi woman Shweta Sehrawat, who was the captain of the U-19 staff within the just-concluded T20 collection towards New Zealand, has been named because the vice-captain.
It has been determined that even the standbys will journey with the staff to South Africa. The concept is to make sure that all of the gamers are prepared and could be drafted in rapidly into the staff in case there’s a want for alternative.
India is positioned in Group D alongside South Africa, UAE and Scotland. The high three groups from every group will progress to the Super Six spherical, the place groups shall be pooled into two teams of six.
The high two groups from every group will then progress to the semi-finals, which shall be performed on January 27 at JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom. The remaining will happen on the identical venue on January 29.
The senior girls’s staff, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, will even be in South Africa across the identical time and shall be concerned in a Tri-series. However, with the dates clashing with the U-19 occasion, each Shafali and Richa will give that Tri-series a miss.