India women cricket team is ready for the Asian Games 2026. The team, captained by Harmanpreet Kaur, has been announced for June 30, 2026. The selection committee has made a significant decision, excluding a player who failed to score 41 runs in three matches. The 15 players selected for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, represent a strong combination of young and senior players.
In fact, Team India’s journey in the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup in England has ended in the group stage. They failed to reach the semi-finals. The player who scored just 41 runs in three matches at the World Cup was considered certain to be dropped. This was none other than wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia, who was struggling with poor form, and was shown the door.
Yastika Bhatia dropped from the team
The biggest reason for this was her poor performance in the T20 World Cup 2026. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur played Yastika in three matches in the World Cup, but she scored just 41 runs. Her average during this period was 13.66 and her strike rate was 117.14, which is extremely disappointing in the T20 format.
If we look at Yastika’s overall T20 career, she hasn’t achieved much. In 26 international matches in this format, she has scored just 374 runs at an average of 19.68 and a very modest strike rate of 100.81. During this period, she has scored just one half-century (54 runs). This consistently poor performance has cost her a ticket to the Asian Games.
Fans are surprised that Harmanpreet Kaur’s captaincy has survived despite the team’s disappointing performance in the T20 World Cup. The Indian team was eliminated from the group stage after losing its final match against Australia. Australia defeated them by six wickets in a must-win match. Australia achieved India’s target of 170 runs with six balls to spare.
India squad for 2026 Asian Games
Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), G Kamalini (wk), Bharti Fulmali, Shree Charani, Renuka Singh, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil (subject to fitness clearance), Radha Yadav, Nandani Sharma.
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