Mandhana's India seek to extend dominance as Zimbabwe ODIs begin in Vadodara
India's women move from Raipur to Vadodara with momentum. Their new captain, Smriti Mandhana, wants the form from the T20I leg to carry into the 50-over games against Zimbabwe. The first ODI is on Friday, October 23, at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi. It starts at 2 PM IST.
The ODIs follow a T20I whitewash. India won the third and final T20I by 92 runs, which completed a 3-0 sweep. They batted first and made 216 for 7. Harmanpreet Kaur was unbeaten on 91 off 41 balls, with ten fours and five sixes. Shafali Verma added 69 off 37 deliveries. Zimbabwe could only reach 124 for 7 in reply. Nandani Sharma was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 18, including two wickets in the last over.
The series matters for more than the scoreboard. The BCCI named Mandhana all-format captain on October 6, after Harmanpreet stepped down from the role. This series is Mandhana's first as full-time captain. It is also the first bilateral meeting between the two women's sides, according to the ICC's preview of the tour. Mandhana had already led India in 18 T20Is and four ODIs. She has played for India since 2013, so the job is not new to her. Being the permanent captain is a different thing.
Harmanpreet has stayed on as a player in both squads, and her unbeaten 91 in Raipur was a strong start to that role. Deepti Sharma is vice-captain for the ODIs, and Shafali held that post in the T20Is. That gives Mandhana an experienced leadership group around her.
The ODI squad, as announced by the board, is: Smriti Mandhana (captain), Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur, Harleen Deol, Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma (vice-captain), Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Yastika Bhatia (wicketkeeper), Vaishnavi Sharma, Nandni Sharma, Sree Charani, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare and Renuka Thakur.
The squad has a mix of power at the top and depth in the lower order. Mandhana, Shafali and Pratika give India a strong top three. Harmanpreet, Harleen and Richa follow, and Deepti adds all-round depth. Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud and Sree Charani give the attack both pace and spin options. The Raipur games showed that India are comfortable setting big totals. The ODIs will test whether they can build innings over 50 overs and keep bowling pressure on for longer spells.
This is also a good chance to give younger players game time in the 50-over format. Some of them are still working to establish themselves in a full-strength side. Series against newer opponents like Zimbabwe let the management try combinations without much risk. The captain and coach can then see what works before tougher assignments come up.
The ODI series runs as follows, with all three games in Vadodara at 2 PM IST:
1st ODI: Friday, October 23
2nd ODI: Sunday, October 25
3rd ODI: Wednesday, October 28
The T20I result suggests India are the clear favourites. Zimbabwe will be looking for more resistance in the longer format. Their batters will need to bat deeper into their innings than they did in Raipur. For India, the aim is simple: win the series, keep the team settled, and make Mandhana's first full series as captain a clean one.