G Kamalini, Vaishnavi Sharma earn maiden callup for Sri Lanka T20Is

Young wicketkeeper-batter G Kamalini and 19-year-old left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma have received their maiden call-ups to India's 15-member squad for the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka at home.

Both Kamalini and Vaishnavi were part of India's squad at the Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup earlier this year in Malaysia, where their performances also earned them spots in the tournament's Team of the Tournament.

Kamalini, who made her Women's Premier League debut with Mumbai Indians this year, has been selected as the backup wicketkeeper ahead of Yastika Bhatia, who is undergoing rehabilitation for an ACL injury sustained ahead of the 2025 ODI World Cup.

Vaishnavi was the highest wicket-taker in the Senior Women's T20 Trophy, claiming 21 wickets in 11 matches at an economy rate of 4.5 for runners-up Madhya Pradesh.

Shafali Verma, who joined the ODI squad as a replacement ahead of the World Cup semifinal, retains her place following a dominant domestic season. From the squad that featured in India's last T20I series in England, Sayali Satghare, Radha Yadav, and Shuchi Upadhyay miss out. Renuka Thakur returns, while Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, and Sree Charani retain their spots.

This series marks India's first assignment since winning their maiden Women's World Cup title last month. The series begins on December 21 in Visakhapatnam, which will also host the second T20I before the teams travel to Thiruvananthapuram for the final three matches.

Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Harleen Deol, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Renuka Singh Thakur, Richa Ghosh (WK), G Kamalini (WK), Sree Charani, Vaishnavi Sharma