India will name its squad for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup — to be held from June 12 to July 5 — on Saturday, with Amita Sharma-chaired selection committee facing its toughest test so far.

It will be Sharma’s first World Cup call since taking over the reins, and it comes at an interesting juncture. India enters the tournament as reigning ODI World Cup champion, having ended a long wait for a global title at home last November. But in the shortest format, the trajectory has been less convincing.

India failed to make the semifinals in the 2024 edition, and T20Is have remained a work in progress in the post-pandemic phase. The recent results reflect that inconsistency.

READ | South Africa series exposes India’s familiar squad-selection woes ahead of T20 World Cup

Since the ODI triumph, India swept Sri Lanka 5-0 at home in December, followed it up with a 2-1 series win in Australia earlier this year, but then slipped to a 1-4 defeat in South Africa last month.

That South Africa tour could prove particularly influential. The team management used the series to experiment extensively, handing opportunities to several untested players and even resting vice-captain Smriti Mandhana for the final two T20Is.

The question now is how much of that experimentation translates into World Cup selection. Young prospects like Anushka Sharma, the promising top-order batter from Madhya Pradesh, and Vaishnavi Sharma have pushed their cases during the recent outings. Considering swinging conditions in England, pace-bowling allrounder Bharti Fulmali was also recalled in South Africa after a long time.

Whether the selectors back youth or fall back on experience for a global event will be closely watched.

The meeting will not be limited to the World Cup squad alone. The committee is also set to pick teams for the upcoming home assignments against England — a three-match T20I series and a one-off Test — as well as the India A squads for the three one-dayers and three T20Is against England A.

Published on May 01, 2026