Indian women in ODI series against New Zealand The Indian women’s cricket team will look to sort some combination issues, with extended quarantine set to keep star batter Smriti Mandhana out when it starts the five-ODI series against New Zealand here on Saturday.
Skipper Mithali Raj will be keen to provide the team a winning start in its ODI campaign, whereas after the visitors went down by 18 runs in the one-off T20I, there was a reversal in the tour of New Zealand.
Due to an extended Managed isolation and Quarantine (MIQ), availability of players has also been an issue for the Indian team with Mandhana, and pacers Renuka Singh and Meghana Singh missing the first game.
While India will need to sort their middle-order, which revolves around Mithali, Yastika Bhatia, who scored 26 while opening the innings with Shafali Verma in the T20I, is likely to retain her position. After being hit for 26 in two overs on Thursday, Simran Bahadur, however, will look for a better show. After winning the one-off T20I New Zealand, on the other hand, will aim to carry the momentum.
Ahead of the World Cup at home, Skipper Sophie Devine will also try to ensure that their best XI is sorted. In the bowling unit, spinner Amelia Kerr snared two while pacers Jess Kerr and Hayley Jensen had taken two wickets each in the T20 game.
