India, Aug. 19 -- India's squad for the Women's World Cup was unveiled on Tuesday, with Harmanpreet Kaur set to captain the side and Smriti Mandhana named as her deputy. Notably, Shafali Verma, regarded as one of the most explosive match-winners in white-ball cricket, has been left out of the 15-member squad.

The 2025 edition of the tournament, scheduled to be held in India, presents Harmanpreet and her team with a golden opportunity to script something special for home fans. The competition begins on September 30, with India opening their campaign against Sri Lanka.

India are still in pursuit of their maiden World Cup title. The closest they came was in 2017, when Mithali Raj's team reached the final at Lord's, only to fall short again...