Dayalan, Devika back for England ODIs; Punam dropped from India squad

New Delhi March 26 (IANS) All-rounder Dayalan Hemalatha was on Monday called up after opener Punam Raut was dropped from the Indian women s cricket team for the three-match ODI series against England starting April 6.

Veteran Mithali Raj will continue to lead the team with all-rounder Harmanpreet Kaur as her deputy.

Middle-order batswoman Devika Vaidya has been recalled to the team. She last played an ODI for India in the World Cup qualifier against South Africa in February last year.

Left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad will also return to the team after missing the ongoing T20 tri-series involving India Australia and England due to an injury.

All the matches will be played in Nagpur. While the opening game is on April 6 the second and third games are on April 9 and 12.

The English women will play a warm-up game against India A on April 3 at the same venue. The selectors have also named an India A side for the tie.

India women s ODI squad:

Mithali Raj (Captain) Harmanpreet Kaur (vc) Smriti Mandhana Deepti Sharma Jemimah Rodrigues Dayalan Hemalatha Veda Krishnamurthy Devika Vaidya Jhulan Goswami Shikha Pandey Pooja Vastrakar Ekta Bisht Poonam Yadav Sushma Verma (WK) Rajeshwari Gayakwad.

India A squad:
Deepti Sharma (Captain) Jemimah Rodrigues Devika Vaidya Dayalan Hemalatha Priya Punia Anuja Patil Mona Meshram Sukanya Parida Kavita Patil Shanti Kumari Tanushree Sarkar Nuzhat Parween (WK) Radha Yadav T P Kanwar.

--IANS
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