As the dust settles on the ODI series, attention turns to the marquee one-off Test between Australia and India, scheduled for March 6-9 in Melbourne. Australia has announced a revamped squad, handing debuts to uncapped prospects Rachael Trenaman and Maitlan Brown.
The duo impressed in Australia A’s four-day red-ball match against India A in Brisbane back in August. Their timely arrival in Perth bolsters a side hit by injuries to pace spearhead Kim Garth (quad), Ellyse Perry (quad), and skipper Sophie Molineux (back).
Trenaman, covering for Perry, could make her international bow if the all-rounder isn’t fully fit. Perry might feature purely as a batter should she pass fitness tests. Brown, absent from the national team since 2021, brings firepower with 16 wickets from 10 domestic games this season for NSW.
Alyssa Healy steps up as captain in Molineux’s absence, bidding farewell to international cricket in style after her explosive 158-run ODI knock against India just days ago.
Full Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (captain), Darcie Brown, Maitlan Brown, Ashley Gardner, Lucy Hamilton, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Ellyse Perry, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Georgia Voll.
India counters with Harmanpreet Kaur at the helm, supported by vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Amanjot Kaur, Richa Ghosh (wk), Uma Chetry (wk), Pratyusha Raval, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Renuka Thakur, Sneh Rana, Kranti Gaud, Vaishnavi Sharma, Sayali Satghare.
This clash promises red-ball drama, with Australia’s injury-enforced changes injecting fresh energy into the contest.