India suffered a major blow before the start of the first ODI against the White Ferns as they were forced to play without their captain Harmanpreet Kaur. Harmanpreet, who is the designated captain of the Indian team was unavailable for the selection due to a niggle and therefore Smriti Mandhana was handed the reins.
India have named two debutants in their side for the first ODI. Batter Tejal Hasabnis and pace-bowling allrounder Saima Thakor are making their international debut. Tejal was a part of the India A side which recently toured Australia.
Tejal was the third-leading run-getter in the three-match unofficial one-day series with 166 runs at an average of 55.33. On the other hand, Saima has some Women's Premier League (WPL) experience to rely upon. Saima has played six games in the lucrative T20 tournament for UP Warriorz and claimed three wickets at an economy rate of 9.10.
The India vs New Zealand series is the start of the countdown for the ODI World Cup 2025. India will be hosting the multi-nation tournament and therefore will be under pressure to end their drought at an ICC event. The group-stage exit has brought a lot of criticism Harmanpreet's way.
The former India skipper Mithali Raj criticised India for their performance at the marquee tournament and called for a change in the leadership. Mithali feels that Jemimah Rodrigues is the right person to the lead the team going forward. However, the selectors have reposed their faith in Harmanpreet.
India's Playing XI:
Smriti Mandhana (c), Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Dayalan Hemalatha, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Tejal Hasabnis, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Saima Thakor, Renuka Thakur Singh
New Zealand's Playing XI:
Smriti Mandhana (c), Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Dayalan Hemalatha, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Tejal Hasabnis, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Saima Thakor, Renuka Singh Thakur
