While Yastika Bhatia has been ruled out from the Australia tour, the All India Women’s Selection Committee has named the replacement. 

India Women are set for the Australia tour, where they will play a three-match WODI series against the hosts Australia Women. This series will be part of the 2022-2025 ICC Women’s Championship. 

Allan Border Field in Brisbane will host the first two WODIs of the series between Australia Women and India Women on December 5 and 8, respectively. Meanwhile, Western Australia Cricket Association (WACA) Ground in Perth will host the last game of the WODI series on December 11.

Yastika Bhatia was injured in the WBBL

The 24-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia recently sustained a small fracture on her wrist during the latest Melbourne derby match at the Women’s Big Bash League 2024-25. Although her team Melbourne Stars Women struggled in the entire tournament, Bhatia scored the second most runs for the team at that time (154 runs) before getting ruled out for the remainder of the tournament. 

Now, Bhatia will miss the upcoming WODI series against the hosts Australia Women. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has further stated that Bhatia's recovery process is being closely monitored.

Uma Chetry earns the call-up

While the wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh is also present in the WODI squad for the Australia tour, the 22-year-old Uma Chetry has been added to the squad. The wicketkeeper-batter has represented the Indian team in four WT20I matches and is waiting for her WODI debut. 

After the completion of the Australia tour, India Women will host West Indies Women for the three-match WODI and three-match WT20I series and Ireland Women three-match WODI series. 

SEE ALSO: India Women home schedules revealed against West Indies and Ireland

India Women's full WODI squad for Australia tour

Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana, Priya Punia, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Richa Ghosh (wk), Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma, Minnu Mani, Priya Mishra, Radha Yadav, Titas Sadhu, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Saima Thakor, Uma Chetry (wk).

Indian wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia has been ruled out from the remainder of the Women’s Big Bash League 2024-25 as the struggling Melbourne Stars Women lost a key player from the squad. 

The 24-year-old wicketkeeper batter Yastika Bhatia sustained a small fracture on her wrist during the latest Melbourne Derby on November 15, where Melbourne Renegades won by nine runs. Stars’ wicketkeeper-batter Bhatia scored 11 runs in that game. 

Interestingly, Bhatia played the next game two days later against Brisbane Heat, where she scored eight runs and Heat won by six wickets. However, last Wednesday (November 20), Bhatia missed out on the match against Sydney Thunders, where Thunders won by four wickets. 

The 2020-21 runners-up Melbourne Stars are struggling this WBBL season as they are in the last place in the points table with four points. Although they started the season with two wins out of their first three outings, they lost the last five games. They are out of contention for the knockout stages while they still have to play two matches in the league stage. 

Bhatia is the second-most run-scorer for Melbourne Stars this season. Starting this season with 36 and 57 runs knocks, the left-handed batter scored 154 runs in six innings with an average of 25.66. 

After a disappointing Women’s T20 World Cup, India Women started the WODI series against New Zealand Women strongly. In the chase, India Women brilliantly dismissed the New Zealand Women skipper Sophie Devine as Deepti Sharma and wicketkeeper Yastika Bhatia jointly worked impressively to create a bizarre run out. 

Smriti Mandhana led India team

In the absence of captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana led the Indian women’s team in the first game of the three-match WODI series. After Mandhana won the toss at Ahmedabad, she chose to bat first. India Women scored 227 runs before losing all wickets in 44.3 overs.

In reply, the debutant and right-arm pacer Saima Thakor dismissed the opener Suzie Bates (1) in her first over.    

After dismissing the opener and in-form Georgia Plimmer (25) in the last over of the first powerplay, Deepti Sharma stunned with a brilliant run out in her next over. 

Sophie Devine's bizarre run out

Captain Sophie Devine just came to the crease, who is known to play brilliantly against the spinners. It was the 12th over of the second innings when the visitors were approaching towards the 50 runs. 

On the final ball of the 12th over, Devine played a defensive shot as the ball travelled toward the bowler. Observing the White Ferns skipper was outside the crease, first Sharma waited and then rightly threw the ball towards the keeper Bhatia, who quickly took off the bails. Although Devine was aware of the situation, she wasn’t careful enough. Devine’s foot was on the line, and when her foot crossed the crease, it was too late for her.

Sharp presence of mind produces a big wicket!👌👌

New Zealand lose their third in the chase as Sophie Devine is run-out.

Live - https://t.co/VGGT7lSS13#TeamIndia | #INDvNZ | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/gvANXADVkA

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) October 24, 2024

It was a huge wicket for the Indian team as the White Ferns were suddenly struggling at 46/3. 

Devine is the fourth leading run-scorer for New Zealand Women in the WODI format. In 148 WODIs, the right-handed batter scored 3862 runs with an average of 31.65, including eight centuries and 15 half-centuries. 

Mumbai Indians put an all-round performance to beat Delhi Capitals by 8 wickets in their Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2023 match here at DY Patil Sports Academy on Thursday. Yastika Bhatia scored the highest with 41 runs as Mumbai Indians chased down a target of 106 runs in 15 overs while Hayley Matthews slammed 32 and Nat Sciver-Brunt scored an unbeaten 23. For Delhi Capitals, Alice Capsey and Tara Norris bagged one wicket each.

Chasing a target of 106, Mumbai Indians got off to a flying start as their openers Hayley Matthews and Yastika Bhatia blasted Delhi bowlers all around the ground. Matthews slammed Shikha Pandey for back-to-back three boundaries. The duo of Yastika and Matthews kept piling runs at a blistering pace and brought up team’s fifty in 7th over of the game. After 10 over, Delhi Capital’s score read 58/3. Meg Lanning then shifted gears and slammed back-to-back three fours in Amelia Kerr’s over, gathering 14 runs.

Mumbai Indians defeat Delhi Capitals by massive 8 wickets

Tara Norris gave Mumbai a big blow as she removed Yastika for 41 in the 9th over of the game. Matthews then lost her wicket to Alice Capsey after scoring 32 runs. Nat Sciver-Brunt and captain Harmanpreet Kaur handled the change as they kept piling runs while slamming boundaries. On the 15th over last ball, Sciver-Brunt slammed a stunning four to guide Mumbai Indians home with an 8-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals. Earlier, superb spells by Saika Ishaque, Issy Wong and Hayley Matthews helped Mumbai Indians bundle out Delhi Capitals of 105 in 18 overs.

Matthews, Ishaque and Wong bagged three-wicket hauls respectively while Pooja Vastrakar claimed one. For Delhi Capitals, Meg Lanning scored the highest with 43 while Jemimah Rodrigues slammed 25 runs. Put to field first, Saika Ishaque drew first blood as she removed opener Shafali Verma for 2 in the 2nd over of the game. The right-handed batter Alice Capsey then came out to bat but the batter failed to score big as she returned after scoring just 6 runs. Issy Wong took her first wicket of the match, dismissing Marizanne Kapp for just 2 runs. Jemimah Rodrigues then came out to bat and handled the charge as she slammed 13 runs off Nat Sciver-Brunt’s over with the help of three boundaries.