Jintimani Kalita is a 22-year-old right-arm medium-fast bowler and left-handed batter from Assam who made her India ODI debut against Zimbabwe in Vadodara on October 23, 2026. She came into the squad as a replacement for Renuka Singh Thakur and is only the second woman from Assam to play for India.
If you saw her name trending on Google this weekend and wondered who she is, you’re not alone. I had to look her up too. She isn’t a big WPL star yet, and she hadn’t played a single game in the T20I series that came just before. So her sudden debut caught a lot of fans by surprise. Here’s everything I could confirm about her, in plain words.
Jintimani Kalita: Key Facts at a Glance
- Full name: Jintimani Nakul Kalita
- Age: 22 (born December 25, 2003, as per ESPNcricinfo’s player profile)
- Home state: Assam, from the town of Mangaldai (also spelt Mangaldoi)
- Role: Seam-bowling all-rounder: right-arm medium-fast, bats left-handed
- Domestic team: Assam (senior team since the 2019-20 season)
- WPL: Bought by Mumbai Indians for ₹10 lakh in the first WPL auction in 2023; 13 WPL matches, 1 wicket
- India debut: 1st ODI vs Zimbabwe, October 23, 2026, at Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara
- Debut cap handed by: Harmanpreet Kaur
- Debut figures: 5 overs, 23 runs, no wicket (plus one catch)
How Did Jintimani Kalita Get Her India Debut?
The short answer: an injury-style replacement call. Renuka Singh Thakur was originally in India’s ODI squad for the Zimbabwe series. But the BCCI said she was “still building up the bowling volume required for the 50-over format” at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, so she was ruled out of all three games. Kalita, who was already travelling with the team, was named in her place on October 22. Cricbuzz reported the switch along with the BCCI’s statement.
Interestingly, Kalita was part of India’s T20I squad against Zimbabwe earlier this month but didn’t get a game, as India swept that series 3-0. Then, just a day after being added to the ODI squad, she walked straight into the playing XI for the opener.
Captain Smriti Mandhana explained the pick at the toss. She called Kalita an “exciting player” and said she had “a good India A series”. That India A experience matters. Earlier in 2026 she toured England with the A side and then played the white-ball series against Australia A in September.
Her Debut Match: What Happened
The first ODI was also the first-ever women’s ODI between India and Zimbabwe, and India’s first match in the new ICC Women’s Championship cycle that runs up to the 2029 World Cup. So it was a nice game to debut in.
Kalita bowled five overs for 23 runs and didn’t pick up a wicket. To be fair, she had some bad luck: Deepti Sharma dropped Modester Mupachikwa at slip off her bowling in the eighth over. She did get her name on the scorecard, though, by taking the catch that sent back Michelle Mavunga off Shree Charani.
India won that game easily, by nine wickets. Zimbabwe were bowled out for 197, with Charani taking 4 for 23. Pratika Rawal then made an unbeaten 100 and Shafali Verma smashed 64 not out off 33 balls as India chased it down in just 27.1 overs.
Kalita has kept her place for the second ODI today (October 25) in Vadodara, where India won the toss and chose to bat. As of about 3 PM IST on Oct 25, 2026, that match is still in progress.
Her Journey From Mangaldai to Team India
This is the part of her story I liked the most. Kalita didn’t plan to become a cricketer. She used to go with her younger brother to a cricket coaching centre in Mangaldai, and a coach there pushed her to try it herself. That was around 2016. Her parents needed some convincing, but they came round.
Money was tight. As per a profile in The Times of India, which cites The New Indian Express, her father worked as a fourth-grade employee in the state government, and she often trained with boys using borrowed kits and shoes. As a child, she reportedly wanted a cricket bat more than new clothes or jewellery.
Step by step, she climbed the domestic ladder:
- Played for Assam’s senior side from the 2019-20 season
- Represented India B in the Under-19 Women’s Challenger Trophy in 2021
- Was among the top 25 Under-19 players called to a National Cricket Academy (NCA) high-performance camp in 2022
- Became the first woman cricketer from Assam to be bought in the WPL in 2023
That WPL deal was a big deal for her family too. She has said in past interviews that it let her support her parents as the eldest child.
Jintimani Kalita in the WPL
Mumbai Indians picked her up for ₹10 lakh at the inaugural WPL auction in 2023. She played for them in the 2023 and 2025 seasons and, as Sportstar notes, has played 13 WPL matches with one wicket so far.
Honestly, those numbers don’t jump off the page. But she was playing in a team stacked with international stars, often as a backup seamer. Her time at MI also put her alongside Harmanpreet Kaur, who leads Mumbai Indians, which is why it felt special that Harmanpreet was the one to hand her the India cap.
The Times of India also reports that Gujarat Giants signed her as an injury replacement in January 2026, but she didn’t get a game that season. I couldn’t find an official WPL announcement confirming this, so please treat that detail with a little caution.
Why Her Debut Matters for Assam
Assam isn’t a state you hear about much in women’s cricket. Before Kalita, only wicketkeeper-batter Uma Chetry from Assam had played for India’s senior women’s team. So her debut is a proud moment for cricket in the Northeast and could inspire more girls from smaller towns to pick up a bat or ball.
For India, it’s also about depth. With Renuka building up her workload, having another seam option who can bat a bit is useful, especially in the long ICC Women’s Championship cycle ahead.
India’s ODI Squad vs Zimbabwe
Here’s the updated squad, as shared by the ICC:
Smriti Mandhana (captain), Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur, Harleen Deol, Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma (vice-captain), Richa Ghosh (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Vaishnavi Sharma, Nandni Sharma, Sree Charani, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare, Jintimani Kalita.
All three ODIs are being played in Vadodara, and the series wraps up on October 28, 2026. If you follow men’s cricket too, you might like my notes on the India A vs New Zealand A unofficial Test and the LA 2028 Olympic cricket qualifiers, where women’s teams will also be fighting for spots.
What’s Next for Jintimani Kalita?
Right now, nothing beyond this series is confirmed. Whether she keeps her spot once Renuka is fully fit is anyone’s guess. A wicket or two in the remaining games would surely help her case. I’ll update this post once the series ends.
FAQs
Who is Jintimani Kalita?
She is a 22-year-old seam-bowling all-rounder from Mangaldai, Assam. She bowls right-arm medium-fast, bats left-handed and plays for Assam in domestic cricket.
When did Jintimani Kalita make her India debut?
She made her ODI debut on October 23, 2026, against Zimbabwe at Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara, receiving her cap from Harmanpreet Kaur.
Whom did Jintimani Kalita replace in the squad?
She replaced Renuka Singh Thakur, who was ruled out because she was still building up her bowling workload for 50-over cricket.
Which WPL team does Jintimani Kalita play for?
She played for Mumbai Indians in the 2023 and 2025 WPL seasons after being bought for ₹10 lakh. Reports say Gujarat Giants signed her as a replacement in January 2026, though she didn’t play for them.
Is Jintimani Kalita the first cricketer from Assam to play for India?
No. She is the second woman from Assam to play for India’s senior team, after Uma Chetry.
What were her debut figures?
She bowled five overs for 23 runs without a wicket and took one catch as India beat Zimbabwe by nine wickets.