In a strategic move, the Women’s Selection Committee on Thursday announced the inclusion of right-arm pacer Shabnam Shakil in India’s squad for the ongoing multi-format IDFC First Bank women’s series against South Africa.
Shabnam, who has played for the U-19 Indian Women’s cricket team as a bowler, was part of the India Women’s team that won the inaugural Women’s U-19 T20 World Cup in 2023.
Growing up in Visakhapatnam in a middle-class family, Shabnam developed an interest in fast bowling at a young age, inspired by her father, a club cricket pacer. At eight, her father enrolled her at the NAD Academy in Visakhapatnam, where she was trained by coach Nagaraju.
Additionally, she practiced at the Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association (VDCA) ground under the guidance of Satish Reddy and Krishna Rao.
Shabnam made her U-19 debut for Andhra Pradesh in 2021 and soon joined the Zonal Cricket Academy, where she trained for zonal matches. Her ability to bowl at 110 kmph caught the attention of Indian selectors, leading to her attendance at a camp at the National Cricket Academy with 25 other girls.
In 2022, she was included in the India U-19 women’s squad for a five-match T20 series against New Zealand and later participated in the Women’s U-19 T20 Quadrangular Series. In 2023, she played in two matches of the U-19 T20 World Cup.
Shabnam, a fan of Indian cricketers Jhulan Goswami and Jasprit Bumrah, was sold to the Gujarat Giants for Rs 10 lakh in the inaugural WPL auction in February 2023.
Shabnam’s inclusion is expected to bolster the squad’s pace attack across all formats, offering additional depth and versatility as India continues its campaign against South Africa.
India’s updated ODI squad for the three-match series now includes Harmanpreet Kaur as the captain, with Smriti Mandhana serving as the vice-captain. The squad features key players such as Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (WK), Uma Chetry (WK), Dayalan Hemalatha, Radha Yadav, Asha Sobhana, Shreyanka Patil, Saika Ishaque, Pooja Vastrakar, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Priya Punia, and Shabnam Shakil.
For the one-off Test match, the updated squad comprises Harmanpreet Kaur as captain and Smriti Mandhana as vice-captain. The squad includes Shafali Verma, Shubha Satheesh, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (WK), Uma Chetry (WK), Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Saika Ishaque, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Meghna Singh, Priya Punia, and Shabnam Shakil.
In the T20I squad for the three-match series, Harmanpreet Kaur leads as captain, with Smriti Mandhana as vice-captain. The squad consists of Shafali Verma, Dayalan Hemalatha, Uma Chetry (WK), Richa Ghosh (WK), Jemimah Rodrigues, Sajana Sajeevan, Deepti Sharma, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Asha Sobhana, Pooja Vastrakar, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, and Shabnam Shakil. Additionally, Saika Ishaque has been named as the standby player for this series.
