ENG W vs IND W 2025: Shree Charani's T20I performances impress skipper Harmanpreet Kaur
The recently-concluded 20-over series was the 20-year-old's first international assignment in T20Is.
India Women skipper Harmanpreet Kaur spoke highly of Shree Charani and her importance in the Indian setup ahead of their 50-over opener against England Women on July 16. The left-arm spinner impressed in the recently-concluded T20I series, emerging as the leading wicket-taker across both sides with 10 wickets in her first five T20I matches.
Harmanpreet revealed that Charani's couple of matches in the 2025 instalment of the Women's Premier League, where she represented the runners-up Delhi Capitals Women under the leadership of Meg Lanning, played a pivotal role in her getting fast-tracked to the national set-up.
“She's a key player for us. In the WPL, where she played two matches [for Delhi Capitals Women], she was impressive. From there itself, we all [team management and selectors] had a chat that she can be a very good option for us,” stated Harmanpreet ahead of the first ODI, as quoted by India Today.
A player like her is very important: Harmanpreet
The Indian skipper shed light on the management's emphasis on squad rotation and how despite that, Charani has still managed to be considered as an integral part of the unit.
“We kept rotating players to see who fits in well, who could give most to the team. She has been outstanding for all of us. A player like her is very important. Along with her, even Radha [Yadav] has made a solid comeback. Hope their combination will keep helping the team like it is,” added Harmanpreet.
The Women in Blue come into the ODI series after registering their first-ever T20I series win against the hosts in England. They ended up winning the series by a 2-3 margin. Charani's 10 wickets in five innings came at an frugal economy rate of 7.46. As far as performers with the bat are concerned, Smriti Mandhana made a strong impact with her batting by recording 221 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 137.26.
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The game at the Rose Bowl in Southampton on Wednesday will be the first time after September 2022 that India will take on England in the 50-over format. The touring side has a fully fit and available squad to pick from. They did not opt for training on the eve of the first encounter of the three-match series.
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