Ahmedabad: New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat first against India in the series-deciding third and final women’s ODI at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Both teams are vying for glory in what has been a competitive series. India won the first ODI to lay down a marker but the Kiwis bounced back with a crushing win and headed into the match with momentum on their side.
Meanwhile, India will look to resolve their batting issues in their quest to win the series.
While India won the first match of the series by 59 runs it was largely due to the superb effort by the bowlers who masked the under-par performance of the batters.
But it didn’t take long for the batting frailties to be unmasked as the hosts were bundled out for 183 while chasing 260 in the second ODI.
While it can be argued that 260 was a tough target indeed, but not impossible by any means as Indian batters surrendered in front of the White Ferns bowlers.
If not for a record ninth-wicket partnership of 70 runs between Radha Yadav and Saima Thakor, India’s run chase would have been over shortly after it started.
The fact that none of the Indian batters have yet to score an individual fifty across two matches paints a grim picture of their batting performance.
The highest individual score from India’s side during this series has come from tail-ender Radha Yadav.
To stand a chance in the series, India will require a drastic turnaround in the final match.
One change each for both sides
Both India and New Zealand have made one change each to their respective playing XIs for the final ODI. While the Kiwis have brought in Hannah Rowe in place of Jess Kerr, the home side has replaced Arundhati Reddy with Renuka Singh.
Off-spinner Shreyanka Patil was unavailable for selection due to shin splints with a medical team closely monitoring her progress.
Teams
India Women: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Jemimah Rodrigues, Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Renuka Singh, Saima Thakor, Priya Mishra.
New Zealand: Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Lauren Down, Sophie Devine (capt), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Izzy Gaze (wk), Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu, Eden Carson, Fran Jonas.
