India Women have announced squads for an all-format tour of South Africa in December 2026, comprising one Test, three ODIs and three T20Is. Smriti Mandhana will captain the side in all three formats. This article breaks down the schedule, squad sizes and format-wise selection patterns.
Tour Structure at a Glance
The tour includes seven international matches played between December 9 and December 30. The itinerary starts with the longest format and ends with the shortest.
Four venues host the ODI and T20I legs, while the Test is played in Gqeberha. Potchefstroom hosts the final two T20Is on consecutive days.
| Format | Matches | Squad Size | Captain | Vice-Captain |
|---|
| Test | 1 | 15 | Smriti Mandhana | Deepti Sharma |
| ODI | 3 | 15 | Smriti Mandhana | Deepti Sharma |
| T20I | 3 | 17 | Smriti Mandhana | Shafali Verma |
Full Match Schedule
The one-off Test begins on December 9 in Gqeberha. The ODI series follows a week later, starting in Paarl on December 16.
The T20I series opens in Benoni on December 26 and closes in Potchefstroom on December 30.
| No. | Date | Match | Venue |
|---|
| 1 | 09-Dec-26 | Test | Gqeberha |
| 2 | 16-Dec-26 | 1st ODI | Paarl |
| 3 | 19-Dec-26 | 2nd ODI | Cape Town |
| 4 | 22-Dec-26 | 3rd ODI | Bloemfontein |
| 5 | 26-Dec-26 | 1st T20I | Benoni |
| 6 | 29-Dec-26 | 2nd T20I | Potchefstroom |
| 7 | 30-Dec-26 | 3rd T20I | Potchefstroom |
Gaps Between Matches
The longest break is seven days, between the Test and the first ODI. Rest days then shrink to three between the ODIs and four before the T20I leg begins.
The final two T20Is are played on consecutive days, the tightest turnaround of the tour.
Squad Composition by Format
A count of the three squad lists shows a stable core. Ten players are named in all three formats, which gives the selectors continuity across the tour.
| Selection Category | Players | Count |
|---|
| Named in all three formats | Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Sree Charani, Kranti Gaud, Nandni Sharma, Sayali Satghare | 10 |
| Test and ODI only | Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Yastika Bhatia, Jintimani Kalita | 4 |
| Test only | Sneh Rana | 1 |
| ODI only | Vaishnavi Sharma | 1 |
| T20I only | Niki Prasad, G. Kamalini, Anushka Sharma, Prema Rawat, Amanjot Kaur, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy | 7 |
Test and ODI Squads Nearly Identical
The Test and ODI squads share 14 of 15 players. The only difference is Sneh Rana in the Test group and Vaishnavi Sharma in the ODI group.
This overlap suggests the selectors treat the two formats as one batting and bowling unit, with the T20I squad the more distinct one.
T20I Squad: Seven Format-Specific Selections
The T20I squad is the largest at 17 players. Seven of them appear in neither the Test nor the ODI squad: Niki Prasad, G. Kamalini, Anushka Sharma, Prema Rawat, Amanjot Kaur, Renuka Singh Thakur and Arundhati Reddy.
That is 41 percent of the T20I group, the highest share of format-specific selections on the tour.
Wicketkeeping Options
Richa Ghosh is the designated wicketkeeper in all three squads. Yastika Bhatia is the second keeper in the Test and ODI groups, while G. Kamalini fills that role in the T20I group.
| Format | Wicketkeepers |
|---|
| Test | Richa Ghosh, Yastika Bhatia |
| ODI | Richa Ghosh, Yastika Bhatia |
| T20I | Richa Ghosh, G. Kamalini |
Leadership Structure
Mandhana leads in every format, which centralises captaincy for the first time on this tour. Deepti Sharma is deputy in the Test and ODI squads, and Shafali Verma holds the vice-captaincy in the T20I squad.
Three different players therefore hold leadership roles across seven matches, and the split follows the format-specific pattern of the squads.
Bowling Resources
Sree Charani, Kranti Gaud, Nandni Sharma and Sayali Satghare are in all three squads, so the bowling group is largely consistent. Renuka Singh Thakur is selected only for the T20Is, which makes her one of the clearest format-specific bowling picks.
What to Watch
With seven matches in 22 days, workload management will matter, particularly for the ten players available in all formats. Squad rotation will be easier in the T20I leg, where the pool is the widest.
The Test is the single longest-format fixture, so batting depth from the Test group will be tested in one match with no series context to fall back on.