India have dropped Yastika Bhatia and named G Kamalini as the back-up wicketkeeper for the women’s cricket competition at the Asian Games, scheduled for Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 17 to 22. This is the only change from the squad that was knocked out of the Women’s T20 World Cup at the group stage.
Offspin-bowling allrounder Shreyanka Patil has also been included in the squad, subject to fitness clearance. Patil was ruled out of the T20 World Cup after injuring an ankle ligament during India’s match against the Netherlands. Legspinner Prema Rawat, who replaced Patil and played one match at the World Cup, does not feature in the Asian Games squad.
Bhatia’s form and India’s middle-order confusion
Bhatia played four matches at the T20 World Cup and scored 41 runs across three innings, at an average of 13.66 and a strike rate of 117.14. She batted between Nos. 3 and 5 in a middle order where India did not settle on fixed roles for her or Jemimah Rodrigues. In the final group match against Australia, Bhatia was pushed below No. 6 and did not get to bat.
Her removal from the squad comes after a tournament where India failed to advance past the group stage, with the team management now reviewing personnel across departments ahead of the Asian Games assignment.
Kamalini’s rise through the WPL and India’s fringe ranks
Kamalini, 17, has built her reputation over two seasons with Mumbai Indians in the WPL. She has played one T20I for India so far, during the home series against Sri Lanka in December 2025, where she opened the batting and scored a run-a-ball 12.
Across her 15-match T20 career, Kamalini has either opened the innings in five outings or batted in the lower order at Nos. 7 and 8, in six outings. She has scored 119 runs at an average of 14.87 in that span. Her inclusion gives India a second wicketkeeping option behind first-choice gloveman Richa Ghosh heading into the Asian Games.
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Asian Games gold up for grabs among eight teams
The women’s cricket gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games will be contested by Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and China. India are the defending champions, having won gold at the 2023 Asian Games after beating Sri Lanka by 19 runs in the final.
Harmanpreet Kaur continues as captain of the squad, with Smriti Mandhana as her deputy. India will look to defend their title in September, with the squad selection reflecting both a shift toward younger reserve options and continued uncertainty over Patil’s fitness ahead of the tournament.
Full Squad
Harmanpreet Kaur (c), 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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