Pratika Rawal and Vaishnavi Sharma get India Test call-ups for Australia tour

Pratika Rawal, who hasn't played any cricket since a breakout performance during India's title-winning campaign at the ODI World Cup, is among seven players in line for their Test debut in just over a month's time. India face Australia at the WACA on March 6 and have picked a squad that is made up of several up-and-coming players, including 20-year-old left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma.

Rawal was the fourth-highest run-getter at the 2025 Women's ODI World Cup with a tally of 308 in six innings. She injured her ankle and missed the knockout matches, but prior to that she hit two fifty-plus scores - one of them against Australia - and formed an excellent opening partnership with Smriti Mandhana.

Vaishnavi, who only broke into international cricket in December last year, has caught the Indian team management's attention with her keenness to flight the ball even in white-ball cricket where there is a danger of getting hit. Over the last year or so, Australian conditions, in men's Tests, has been averse to spin bowling.

India have gone in for plenty of seam-bowling options, though only Renuka Singh is capped at Test level. She'll be backed up by Kranti Gaud, who has now earned a place in India's squads across formats, Amanjot Kaur and Sayali Satghare.

Harmanpreet Kaur leads the 15-member contingent with Mandhana as her deputy. Both of them have a lot of experience playing in Australia having been part of the Women's Big Bash League for several years. Jemimah Rodrigues can call upon that as well, and her stellar hundred that knocked Australia out of the ODI World Cup.

Most of the batting unit remains the same as when India played their last Test match, against South Africa in June 2024. Uma Chetry is the back-up wicketkeeper to Richa Ghosh across formats on the tour with G Kamalini now ruled out.

India will face Australia in three T20Is and three ODIs between February 15 and March 1, with the one-off Test scheduled to run from March 6 to 9 in Perth.

That apart, left-arm spinner Radha Yadav will lead the India A squad for the Rising Star Women's Asia Cup to be played in a T20 format in Thailand, from February 13. India A will face UAE, Pakistan and Nepal on February 13, 15 and 17 respectively. The semi-finals will be played February 20 with final on February 22.

Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Renuka Singh, Sneh Rana, Amanjot Kaur, Uma Chetry (wk), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Kranti Gaud, Vaishnavi Sharma, Sayali Satghare
Last seven players in line for Test debuts

Humairaa Kaazi, Vrinda Dinesh, Anushka Sharma, Deeya Yadav*, Tejal Hasabnis, Nandani Kashyap (wk), Mamta M (wk)*, Radha Yadav (capt), Sonia Mendhiya, Minnu Mani, Tanuja Kanwer, Prema Rawat, Saima Thakor, Jintamani Kalita, Nandani Sharma