Indian Women’s World Cup Star Batter Earns Maiden Test Call-Up for Australia Tour

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Indian Women’s Cricket Team squad for the one-off Test against the Australian Women’s Cricket Team. The match will be played at Perth Stadium in Perth from 6th to 9th March. The Indian squad for IND-W vs AUS-W Test 2026 saw Pratika Rawal earning a maiden call-up. The opening batter, who played an instrumental role in India winning the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, will be making a comeback after a long injury layoff.

In India’s last league game in the World Cup against Bangladesh, Pratika Rawal suffered an ankle injury and was ruled out of the entire tournament. Since then, she has been out of action and has missed a lot of important games, including the T20I series against Sri Lanka and the ongoing WPL 2026, where she is a part of UP Warriorz Women. There are chances that she might play a part in the tournament, as she is still awaiting medical clearance from the BCCI's Centre of Excellence.

Pratika Rawal Maiden Test Call Along with Four Other Players

Pratika Rawal wasn’t named in the Indian side for the white-ball series against Australia, but she will be back in the Indian setup through Tests. With the kind of ability that she brings, Pratika Rawal Maiden Test Call means that there are chances that she might make her debut. She showed great maturity in the World Cup and was amongst the leading run-getters for India in the tournament. She showed great temperament and gave a glimpse that she can be successful at the test level, as well.

Apart from Pratika Rawal Test Squad call-up, the BCCI has also named four more uncapped players in the side. Along with the opening batter, the likes of Amanjot Kaur, Kranti Gaud, Vaishnavi Sharma and Sayali Satghare have also made a cut into the team. While there are five uncapped players in the side, Harleen Deol has made a return to the team, having featured last in Tests against England and Australia in 2023. Also, Shafali Verma has retained her place in the side on the back of his solid form.

Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh will be there in the middle-order along with Deepti Sharma. The spin options feature Sneh Rana and Vaishnavi, along with Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud and all-rounder Amanjot being the seam options in the team. From the last Test series, Saika Ishaque, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Meghna Singh and Priya Punia were missing. They have been dropped from the side following their poor performances.

India Test squad for IND-W vs AUS-W Test 2026

Harmanpreet Kaur will lead India in the Test against Australia with Smriti Mandhana being her deputy. The duo will have a great responsibility on her shoulders as India look to win their first-ever Test in Australia with some of the best women cricketers in the team.

Here's the Indian squad for the test against Australia:

Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Varma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Amanjot Kaur, Richa Ghosh (wk), Uma Chetry (wk), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Renuka Thakur, Sneh Rana, Kranti Gaud, Vaishnavi Sharma, Sayali Satghare.