Huge blow: Australia captain ruled out of India series, replacement announced

Australia Women's National Cricket Team have suffered a massive blow ahead of the series against the India Women's National Cricket Team. Captain Alyssa Healy has been ruled out of the entire three-match ODI series.

Alyssa Healy has been ruled out of the three-match ODI series against the India Women's National Cricket Team due to a knee injury. The Australia Women's National Cricket Team skipper suffered injury during the ongoing season of the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL).

Tahlia McGrath will be leading Australia in the series against India

This will come as a massive blow for the Australia Women's National Cricket Team as not only they will lose a leader but also a quality batter. In her absence, Tahlia McGrath will be leading the team in the series. She also captained the team in the latter half of the T20 World Cup 2024 when Healy missed games due to a foot injury.

Ashleigh Gardner will be the vice-captain of the team in the series against India and Beth Mooney will take over the wicket-keeping duties. They would be keen to make an impact in the place of the regular skipper and help the Australia Women's National Cricket Team win the series at home.

In place of Alyssa Healy, the Australia Women's National Cricket Team have added Sydney Thunder's 21-year-old batting star Georgia Voll. The youngster has impressed many with his performances during the ongoing Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) 2024 season.

Georgia Voll had a great outing in the WBBL after moving to the Thunder. She hit 299 runs at a strike rate of 145.85 in nine innings. Not only this, he also impressed many with his outings in the 50-over Women's National Cricket League, where she slammed 201 runs from four innings.

Georgia Voll is likely to open the innings alongside Phoebe Litchfield in the three-match ODI series against the India Women's National Cricket Team. She is expected to be part of the series against India only as Healy is expected to be fit for the New Zealand series.

We've chosen an experienced squad for these two upcoming tours with next year's Ashes series and ICC Women's World Cup - Shawn Flegler

Cricket Australia's head of performance and national selector, Shawn Flegler, talked about the inclusion of Georgia Voll, saying that she has shown her potential over several years. He also mentioned that they took the decision to not include Alyssa Healy, keeping in mind the long-term version. He said:

"We've chosen an experienced squad for these two upcoming tours with next year's Ashes series and ICC Women's World Cup very much very much the focus. Georgia Voll has had a strong start to the summer and has shown her potential over several years.

"She'll form an exciting partnership with Phoebe Litchfield at the top of the order in what will be a great opportunity for her to get a taste of international cricket against a strong India side. The decision for Alyssa Healy to miss the India series was made with a longer-term view to the Ashes, with her availability for the New Zealand series to become clearer over the next few weeks."

Australia squad for women's ODIs against India and New Zealand

Alyssa Healy (*only available for NZ series), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll (*India series only), Georgia Wareham

Also read: Watch: Hazrat Bilal bowls the biggest no-ball in cricket; Spot-Fixing debate erupts in Abu Dhabi T10 League