India Women land in Vadodara for Zimbabwe ODIs after 3-0 T20I sweep
The India Women's squad has reached Vadodara. The focus now moves from the T20I series in Raipur to the 50-over leg of Zimbabwe's tour. All three ODIs will be played at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi, so the teams will stay in one city for the whole series.
India come into the series on a high. They won the three-match T20I leg 3-0 in Raipur. In the final game on October 20, India batted first and put up 216 for 7. Zimbabwe could only reach 124 for 7 in reply, which gave India a 92-run win and the clean sweep.
That T20I series was a historic one, the first bilateral women's T20I series between the two countries. It was also the first assignment of Smriti Mandhana as full-time India captain. She took over after Harmanpreet Kaur chose to step down from the role. Mandhana therefore leads India in ODIs for the first time on this tour, and a series sweep would be a good start to her tenure.
The ODI fixtures are:
• 1st ODI: Friday, October 23
• 2nd ODI: Sunday, October 25
• 3rd ODI: Wednesday, October 28
Each match is a day-night game starting at 2:00 pm IST.
The ODI squad has a different look from the T20I group. Harleen Deol, Pratika Rawal, Tejal Hasabnis and Yastika Bhatia have been included, and pace bowler Renuka Singh Thakur is back in the ODI side. Deepti Sharma is listed as vice-captain, with Richa Ghosh and Bhatia as the wicketkeeping options. Harmanpreet Kaur, Shafali Verma, Kranti Gaud and Shree Charani are also part of the squad. The mix of experienced batters and returning names gives the selectors and team management a chance to try combinations in a format where India have a lot of depth.
For Zimbabwe, the tour is mainly a chance to learn. They are a developing side who have shown flashes of quality but are heavy underdogs against India in conditions like these. A full ODI series gives their batters time to build innings and their bowlers a chance to test themselves against a top-order line-up that has plenty of experience.
There is plenty for India to look at too. An opening pair of Mandhana and Rawal, a middle order with Harmanpreet, Deol and Ghosh, and Deepti's all-round skills give them options. The bowling can use a combination of pace and spin. Several players will want strong performances to strengthen their case for places in the side in the months ahead.
The local build-up has been lively. Tight security was in place at the airport when the team arrived, and Vadodara's cricket fans have shown strong interest in the series. The city has an international women's fixture again after the T20Is were held in Raipur.
The series is also an early test of the Mandhana-led set-up. India will want to turn their T20I form into ODI wins and carry that momentum into their next assignments, including the tour of South Africa later this year.