India Women will face Zimbabwe Women in the first ODI at the BCA Stadium, Kotambi, Vadodara, on Friday at 2:00 PM IST. After winning the T20I series 3-0, India will look to continue their strong form and begin the ODI series with a victory. Smriti Mandhana will lead India as full-time captain and aim to maintain the team's winning momentum. Zimbabwe Women will be led by Josephine Nkomo, who will look to guide her side to a strong performance against the hosts. India will welcome back several ODI specialists, including Pratika Rawal, Sayali Satghare, Harleen Deol, Yastika Bhatia and Renuka Thakur. With experienced players returning to the squad, India will be confident of putting up another impressive performance.
Pitch Report:
The pitch at BCA Stadium is expected to favour batters, with good bounce and limited assistance for bowlers. The average first-innings score in the four ODIs played at the venue is around 283 runs. Spinners could get some turn as the ball gets older. Dew is also expected to play a role in the second innings, which could make chasing easier. Winning the toss and choosing to bowl first may therefore be a good option.
Head-to-Head Record:
India Women and Zimbabwe Women have faced each other only once in ODI cricket. India won that match by nine wickets in 2017 and will aim to maintain their unbeaten record against Zimbabwe in the format.
Predicted Playing XIs:
India Women: Smriti Mandhana (C), Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Yastika Bhatia (WK), Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Charani, Kranti Goud, Renuka Thakur, Nandani Sharma.
Zimbabwe Women: Modester Mupachikwa (wk), Kelis Ndhlovu, Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano, Beloved Biza, Josephine Nkomo (capt), Sharne Mayers/Chiyedza Dhururu, Nyasha Gwanzura, Michelle Mavunga, Nomvelo Sibanda, Francisca Chipare, Olinder Chare/Tendai Makusha