Toss Zimbabwe opt to bat vs India
Zimbabwe captain Josephine Nkomo won the toss and chose to bat first in the third ODI against India in Vadodara. Noting the hot and humid conditions, she described the pitch as a favorable batting surface. Trailing 2-0 in the three-match series, Zimbabwe made one alteration for the concluding match of their tour of India, bringing in right-arm medium-pacer Francisca Chipare in place of Tendai Makusha. India captain Smriti Mandhana, for her part, said she hoped her side would manage to claim a few more wickets. Despite posting modest totals of 197 and 207 in the opening two fixtures, Zimbabwe’s batters occupied the crease for nearly the full 50 overs on both occasions. India made three changes to their lineup, with Yastika Bhatia, Harleen Deol, and Kranti Gaud replacing Tejal Hasabnis, Richa Ghosh, and Shree Charani. Gaud, who featured in the opener and claimed a three-wicket haul, returns to the side, while Bhatia and Deol will make their first appearances in Vadodara. Bhatia is returning to ODI action after a two-year absence. She recently captained India A in the one-day series against Australia A in Mohali, where she scored 112 off 84 balls batting at number three. Her previous appearance for India came in July, when she struck 113 at Lord’s during the one-off Test against England.
India secured comfortable victories in the first two ODIs after sweeping the T20I series 3-0. The ongoing tour also marks India’s first series in the 2025-29 Women’s Championship cycle.
India: 1 Pratika Rawal, 2 Smriti Mandhana (capt), 3 Shafali Verma, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur, 5 Harleen Deol, 6 Yastika Bhatia (wk), 7 Deepti Sharma, 8 Kranti Gaud, 9 Sayali Satghare, 10 Jintimani Kalita, 11 Vaishnavi Sharma
Zimbabwe: 1 Modester Mupachikwa (wk), 2 Loryn Phiri, 3 Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano, 4 Beloved Biza, 5 Josephine Nkomo (capt), 6 Michelle Mavunga, 7 Nyasha Gwanzura, 8 Chiedza Dhururu, 9 Nomvelo Sibanda, 10 Francisca Chipare, 11 Olinder Chare
