Vadodara: Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bat against India in the third women’s ODI at the Vadodara International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
Zimbabwe captain Josephine Nkomo said the ongoing series against India has provided valuable international exposure to her players, helping them understand the gap between the two sides and identify areas for improvement.
“Definitely, the exposure is good. Now we know how big the gap is and where we need to work on. It has been a good exposure for the girls; we haven’t played at this level much. It also gives them a chance to be picked in one of the leagues,” Nkomo said.
Reflecting on the small wins achieved by her team during the series, she added, “It feels good but I know we can do better. We still have a lot to offer, we just need to believe in ourselves.” Nkomo, who opted to bat first after winning the toss, said the team wanted to put runs on the board on what she considered a good batting surface. Zimbabwe made one change to their playing XI, bringing in Tendai Makusha, while Nkomo identified a total of around 250 or more as a competitive target. “Anything around 250 above 250, gives us a good chance,” she said.
India captain Smriti Mandhana, meanwhile, confirmed three changes to her side, with Kranti Goud returning to the playing XI alongside Harleen Deol and Yastika Bhatia, who replaced Richa Ghosh and Tejal Hasabnis. Looking ahead to the upcoming South Africa tour and the Champions Trophy, Mandhana said India could consider playing three specialist pacers, particularly with the matches expected to be played under lights.
“We have South Africa big tour and the Champions Trophy. Considering those will be night matches. Three pacers will be ideal. As we get closer to the Champions Trophy, we will think what will be the best combination. We have so many part-time spinners in our team. So, we can always go with an extra pacer in the team,” she said.
Mandhana also stressed the importance of taking early wickets with the new ball, praising Kranti, Sayali Satghare and Jintimani Kalita for bowling in the right areas. “Pacers with the new ball, I feel we can pick more wickets with the new ball. That’s the point for sure. Kranti, Sayali and Jinti, all bowled well in the right areas,” she said.
Assessing the bowling unit’s performance, Mandhana said she would ideally want to restrict opponents to below 150, although a total under 180-200 would also be a reasonable outcome. “Well, considering the anything below 180-200 will be good. They are batting decently well. But if I’m being very critical to our bowlers, anything under 150 would be great as a captain. But anything under 180-200 will be good,” she added.
Playing XIs:
India: Pratika Rawal, Smriti Mandhana (c), Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Harleen Deol, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Deepti Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare, Jintimani Kalita, Vaishnavi Sharma
Zimbabwe: Modester Mupachikwa (wk), Loryn Phiri, Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano, Beloved Biza, Josephine Nkomo (c), Nyasha Gwanzura, Chiedza Dhururu, Michelle Mavunga, Nomvelo Sibanda, Tendai Makusha, Olinder Chare
(IANS)
