Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shikha Pandey left out of India squads for Bangladesh tour

Pace spearhead Renuka Singh, wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh, experienced allrounder Shikha Pandey and left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad are among the notable absentees in India's white-ball squads for the tour of Bangladesh starting July 9.

The BCCI's media statement, which was released less than four days prior to the team's scheduled departure for Dhaka, didn't mention the reasons for the omissions. Among these names, Pandey was the only player who was not awarded a central contract for the 2022-23 season.

Ghosh's absence opened the doors for Assam's Uma Chetry, who is the second wicketkeeper to Yastika Bhatia in both T20I and ODI squads. Chetry, 20, was part of the India A side that had recently won the ACC Emerging Nations tournament in Hong Kong.

There were also maiden call-ups for Kerala allrounder Minnu Mani (only T20Is) and the left-arm spinning duo of Anusha Bareddy (Andhra) and Rashi Kanojiya (Uttar Pradesh) for both T20Is and ODIs. Harmanpreet Kaur will lead both squads, with Smriti Mandhana as her deputy.

Meanwhile, top-order batter S Meghana and seam bowler Meghna Singh, who were part of the reserves in India's T20 World Cup squad earlier this year, have been drafted into the main squad. Sneh Rana, who was another reserve player, is now part of just the ODI squad.

Left-arm seamer Monica Patel and batter Priya Punia are back in the mix. Patel, who found herself in the wilderness after playing just two ODIs against South Africa in March 2021, is part of both squads. She is uncapped in T20Is. Punia, meanwhile, is part of only the ODI squad, and had last played in that South Africa series alongside Patel.

Radha Yadav, the left-arm spinning allrounder, has been left out of both squads. The selectors have instead punted on Maharashtra's Devika Vaidya and Punjab allrounder Amanjot Kaur, who made her debut earlier this year during the tri-series in South Africa. The tour of Bangladesh is India's first assignment since the T20 World Cup in February-March when they lost the semi-finals to Australia.

All the players in the squads were part of a targeted group of players that underwent a fitness-intensive conditioning camp at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru in May. It isn't clear if the new head coach for the women's team will be part of the Bangladesh tour.

The BCCI is in the process of concluding its appointment process, with an announcement imminent. Former Mumbai captain Amol Muzumdar, former Baroda batter Tushar Arothe, who had earlier worked with India women as their coach, and former Durham batter Jon Lewis are among those in contention for the job.

The India women head coach's position has been vacant since Ramesh Powar was removed as part of an internal restructuring by the BCCI. Since then, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the former India allrounder, has been in charge of the team in an interim capacity. Kanitkar was also part of the fitness camp in May.

India will begin the Bangladesh tour with a three-match T20I series, which will run from July 9 to July 13. This will be followed by three ODIs from July 16 to July 22. All games will be played at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

This white-ball series marks the start of a busy calendar for India women with New Zealand, England and Australia set to tour over the next six months. England and Australia will play Tests in a multi-format tour.