Shreyanka Patil Returns to India A Squad for England Series
Shreyanka Patil is back in India colours – not yet with the senior side, but in a role that could shape her path straight back there.
The all-rounder has been named in the India A squad for the upcoming all-format series against England A in Pune and Mumbai, starting November 30. It is her first India outing since the Asian Games gold medal run, a high that was followed by a sharp dip as she missed out on the home series against Zimbabwe and the tour of South Africa.
Now she returns not for one format, but for all three.
Shreyanka, Minnu, and a core across formats
Selectores have built a clear spine for this A tour. Shreyanka is one of five players chosen in every squad across T20s, One-Dayers and the multi-day game, alongside Minnu Mani, Shipra Giri, Tanisha Singh and Saima Thakor. It is a show of faith in a young group expected to shoulder heavy workloads and adapt quickly between formats.
Minnu’s rise is underlined just as strongly. She will serve as vice-captain to Anushka Sharma in both white-ball legs before taking full charge of the red-ball side, with Tejal Hasabnis as her deputy. It is a leadership handover that hints at long-term planning: Sharma steering the tempo in limited-overs cricket, Minnu entrusted with the grind of the longer format.
Kashvee Gautam’s long road back
There is another comeback worth circling in red ink.
Fast-bowling all-rounder Kashvee Gautam, last seen on India’s T20I tour of South Africa in April, has forced her way back into the white-ball squads. A serious knee injury and subsequent surgery halted her progress, but she has returned through the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy for Chandigarh and done enough to convince the selectors she is ready for the next step.
Her inclusion in both T20 and One-Day squads gives India A a genuine pace-bowling option who can change games with the ball and lengthen the batting.
The squads in detail
Anushka Sharma will lead India A in three T20s and three One-Dayers, with Minnu Mani as her vice-captain in both formats.
T20 squad vs England A: Anushka Sharma (captain), Minnu Mani (vice-captain), Vrinda Dinesh, Tanisha Singh, Sanika Chalke, Niki Prasad, G Kamalini, Shipra Giri, Amanjot Kaur, Shreyanka Patil, Vaishnavi Sharma, Prema Rawat, Saima Thakor, Monica Patel, Kashvee Gautam.
One-Day squad vs England A: Anushka Sharma (captain), Minnu Mani (vice-captain), Vrinda Dinesh, Tanisha Singh, Priya Punia, Niki Prasad, G Kamalini, Shipra Giri, Tejal Hasabnis, Shreyanka Patil, Amisha Bahukandi, Shabnam Shakil, Saima Thakor, Akshita Bhagat, Kashvee Gautam.
For the multi-day game, the baton passes.
Multi-Day squad vs England A: Minnu Mani (captain), Tejal Hasabnis (vice-captain), Shubha Satheesh, Priya Punia, Tanisha Singh, Purvaja Verlekar, Henreitta Perera, Shipra Giri, Uma Chetry, Shreyanka Patil, Saima Thakor, Akshita Bhagat, Amisha Bahukandi, Happy Kumari, Shabnam Shakil.
The names tell their own story: a blend of established domestic performers and emerging talent, many of them getting a rare chance to operate in a red-ball setting at international level.
Pune under lights, Wankhede on centre stage
The series opens with the T20 leg in Pune on November 30. The first match starts at 1 PM, a day fixture that should test batters under the dry afternoon sun. The second and third T20s, on December 3 and 5, switch to 6 PM starts, bringing in the dew, the lights and a very different set of skills for bowlers and captains.
From there, the action shifts to one of the most storied venues in Indian cricket.
Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium will host the three One-Day matches on December 8, 11 and 14. The opener is a day game, beginning at 9 AM, a throwback to old-school ODI mornings with early movement on offer. The next two fixtures keep the same venue, giving players a valuable extended run on a ground that has staged World Cup knockouts and IPL finals.
Then comes the format that often reveals the most about a cricketer.
The Wankhede will also stage the multi-day match from December 19, a rare long-form audition for India’s next tier. For batters like Priya Punia and Shubha Satheesh, and all-rounders like Shreyanka and Minnu, it is an opportunity to show they can build innings and spells, not just cameos.
For some, this tour is a return. For others, it is a first real look at international-level pressure and expectation. For all of them, it is something else entirely: a door slightly open, with England A on the other side and the senior India dressing room not too far beyond.
