Chandigarh: For Kashvee Gautam, the progression now feels complete. After making her mark in ODIs and earning a Test cap earlier this month, the 22-year-old all-rounder has been drafted into India’s T20I squad for the five-match series in South Africa.
The Chandigarh cricketer’s steady rise—interrupted briefly by injuries—has been defined by resilience as much as by promise. Her return to the India side during the Australia tour signalled a fresh chapter, and the T20 call-up now places her firmly in the team’s plans ahead of the Women’s T20 World Cup in England.
A lively seamer with the ability to contribute down the order, Gautam has quietly built an impressive résumé. In the Women’s Premier League (WPL), she has featured in 18 matches for Gujarat Giants, picking up 19 wickets. She made her ODI debut against Sri Lanka in April 2025 and played in the one-off Test against Australia in Perth—each step reinforcing her growing stature.
Her inclusion in the BCCI’s Grade C central annual contracts for 2025-26 season further underlines the selectors’ confidence in her.
Gautam is not the only young all-rounder to catch the eye. Gujarat Giants teammate Anushka Sharma has got her maiden India call, capping a breakout phase in her career.
The 22-year-old from Madhya Pradesh impressed in her debut WPL season with 177 runs in seven matches. Sharma carried that form into India A’s title-winning run at the Women’s Asia Cup Rising Stars T20 tournament in Bangkok where she accumulated 116 runs in five matches, including a top score of 47.
Together, Gautam and Sharma represent a clear direction in India’s squad-building: cricketers who add depth with both bat and ball, while raising the bar in the field.
Sharma did not bowl in the WPL but is known to be a handy off-break bowler. From Gwalior, Sharma has been described as a fearless player with high-intent, contributing both with the bat and ball for her state team in the last domestic season.
Their inclusion also hints at a broader strategy. With the T20 World Cup on the horizon, India would want to settle on a core group while strengthening the middle-order and expanding bowling options. The South Africa series, coming on the heels of India’s ODI World Cup triumph over the same opposition, offers the perfect testing ground.
Amanjot Kaur and Vaishnavi Sharma have been left out, signalling a shift in team combinations. Harmanpreet Kaur will continue to lead the women in blue and will have southpaw Smriti Mandhana as her deputy.
The five-match series begins in Durban on April 17 and 19, before moving to Johannesburg for the next two games on April 22 and 25. The final T20I will be played in Benoni on April 27.
The squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Sree Charani, Shreyanka Patil, Kashvee Gautam, Bharti Fulmali, Uma Chetry (wicketkeeper), Anushka Sharma.
