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Anushka Sharma to Captain India A in England A Series

Anushka Sharma will captain both India A white-ball sides and Minnu Mani will take charge of the multi-day team for a packed home series against England A, in a set of selections that blend promise, experience and a few timely comebacks.

The tour opens with three T20s in Pune from November 30, moves into three one-dayers from December 8, and closes with a solitary four-day game at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai from December 19. Three formats, three weeks, and for several players, three chances to slam the door open on higher honours.

Anushka at the helm, Mani across formats

At 23, Anushka is no stranger to the role. She has already led India A in T20s against England A and Australia A this year, and now finds herself at the centre of the structure again, entrusted with both the T20 and one-day sides.

Mani, the offspin-bowling allrounder, will serve as her deputy in the white-ball squads but steps up as captain for the four-day match, with Tejal Hasabnis named her vice-captain in the longer format. It’s a clear sign: the management wants continuity in leadership while testing players under different pressures.

Patil in all three squads, Amanjot returns again

One name jumps off the sheet: Shreyanka Patil. Left out of India’s squads for the senior series against South Africa, the offspin allrounder has been included in all three India A squads. It’s a strong vote of confidence in her all-format potential and a chance to reset after that omission.

The selection call that carries emotional weight is Amanjot Kaur’s. Fresh from a long injury layoff and a return to India’s T20I squad for the South Africa series, she has been picked in the India A T20 side for the England A games. Another step in a carefully managed comeback, another platform to prove she belongs back in the thick of it.

Rising core around the senior fringe

Several players straddle both the A setup and the fringes of the senior team. G Kamalini and Niki Prasad, part of India’s T20I squad to face South Africa from December 26, find places in both the India A T20 and one-day squads. So does fast bowler Kashvee Gautam, who last played for India in the T20Is against South Africa in April 2026, picking up one wicket in three games.

Left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma, selected only for the ODIs in the South Africa senior series, has been included in the T20 squad for England A. It’s a subtle but important expansion of her brief: more overs, more roles, more scrutiny.

Sanika Chalke, fresh from being snapped up by Mumbai Indians in the 2027 WPL auction, also breaks into the T20 squad. The message is clear: franchise attention is being matched by national investment.

Top-order batter Vrinda Dinesh, who turned heads at the Women’s Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament and impressed for India A earlier in the year, keeps riding the wave. She features in both white-ball squads, another step in an upward curve that selectors clearly don’t want to interrupt.

Red-ball rewards and quiet consistency

The multi-day squad carries its own storylines. Priya Punia, who scored 46 and 59 in India A’s win in the one-off unofficial Test against Australia A, retains her place in both the four-day and one-day squads. Her opening partner from that match, Shubha Satheesh – already capped in two Tests for India – returns to anchor the multi-day batting group.

Behind the stumps, wicketkeeper-batter Uma Chetry, part of the white-ball squads against Australia A, is handed a role in the four-day side. It’s a nod to her adaptability and a chance to refine her game in the most demanding format.

The multi-day list also opens the door to a clutch of domestic standouts: Andhra batter Henreitta Perera, Goa’s Purvaja Verlekar, Uttarakhand left-arm spinner Amisha Bahukandi, and Rajasthan medium-pacer Happy Kumari. For them, Wankhede in December is not just a venue; it’s an audition on one of cricket’s grandest stages.

The squads

India A squad for T20s:

  • Vrinda Dinesh
  • Tanisha Singh
  • Sanika Chalke
  • Anushka Sharma (capt)
  • Niki Prasad
  • G Kamalini (wk)
  • Shipra Giri (wk)
  • Minnu Mani
  • Amanjot Kaur
  • Shreyanka Patil
  • Vaishnavi Sharma
  • Prema Rawat
  • Saima Thakor
  • Monica Patel
  • Kashvee Gautam

India A squad for one-day matches:

  • Vrinda Dinesh
  • Tanisha Singh
  • Priya Punia
  • Anushka Sharma (capt)
  • Niki Prasad
  • G Kamalini (wk)
  • Shipra Giri (wk)
  • Minnu Mani
  • Tejal Hasabnis
  • Shreyanka Patil
  • Amisha Bahukandi
  • Shabnam Shakil
  • Saima Thakor
  • Akshita Bhagat
  • Kashvee Gautam

India A squad for the multi-day match:

  • Shubha Satheesh
  • Priya Punia
  • Tanisha Singh
  • Purvaja Verlekar
  • Henreitta Perera
  • Tejal Hasabnis
  • Shipra Giri (wk)
  • Uma Chetry (wk)
  • Minnu Mani (capt)
  • Shreyanka Patil
  • Saima Thakor
  • Akshita Bhagat
  • Amisha Bahukandi
  • Happy Kumari
  • Shabnam Shakil

Three formats, one opposition, and a packed calendar around it. For Anushka, Mani, Patil, Amanjot and a long list of hopefuls, England A at home is more than a series – it’s a trial run for the next layer of India caps.

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