The Board of Control for Cricket in India held a strategic review meeting regarding the national women’s squad in Guwahati this Monday. The session was led by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia and included key team figures, specifically captain Harmanpreet Kaur, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, and head coach Amol Muzumdar. This gathering served as an assessment of the team’s current trajectory following a period of mixed results.
The team’s recent performance shows a strong upward trend. While the squad faced a challenging T20 World Cup campaign in England earlier this summer, they successfully rebounded by securing two major continental titles. These victories include the Women’s Asia Cup in the UAE and a gold medal at the Asian Games held in Japan shortly thereafter.
Despite external speculation regarding potential leadership changes, Harmanpreet Kaur maintains her position as captain, with no immediate shifts in the team hierarchy anticipated. The meeting focused on future planning rather than drastic administrative changes. Notably, while the recent men’s selection review in Mumbai faced scrutiny over the absence of the chief selector, it remains unconfirmed if women’s chief selector Amita Sharma participated in this specific Guwahati session, though her involvement does not carry the same controversy. However, unlike in the case of Agarkar, there is no controversy here.
Looking ahead, the selection panel led by Amita Sharma is slated to convene around October 6 to finalize the squad for the upcoming six-match white-ball series against Zimbabwe. This tour marks a historic milestone as Zimbabwe Women’s first-ever bilateral visit to India. The two-week schedule features three T20Is in Raipur on October 16, 18, and 20, followed by three ODIs in Vadodara on October 23, 26, and 28. The ODI segment holds additional significance as part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2025-29 cycle. Under Amita Sharma, are expected to meet soon, probably on Tuesday (October 6) itself, to pick the squad for the six-match white-ball series against Zimbabwe, which is being billed as historic as i, the women’s selectors.
