Undoubtedly skipper Harmanpreet Kaur will experience a baptism of fire as India goes c on into preparation for next year’s World Cup by first playing a three-match ODI series against arch-rivals New Zealand starting here on Thursday after another disappointing attempt at an ICC title.
Kaur’s leadership will come under scrutiny as she had been criticized for her interim responsibility during the last T20 world cup in which India participated and did not progress beyond the group stage despite her being the highest run scorer for the team in that tournament.
As India seeks ways to get over and move on from the previous forgettable event in the UAE, New Zealand will be riding on high spirits after having triumphed during the T20 World Cup and being dominant run through the tournament except from the match they lost to Australia in their group stage.
35-year-old Kaur stood her ground as the captain despite the storm of doubts and conflicts regarding her leadership in recent weeks but against New Zealand, she has been left with no choice but to play without a power hitter whose services will be needed by Richa Ghosh, because she will be writing her 12 board exams.
The captain came under scrutiny when she was blamed for a poor finish in the 2nd group game against Australia in the UAE. Many pundits and fans were left shocked as India was able to secure a tie when Kaur took a single on the first ball of the last over and left Shreyanka Patil to hit two sixes instead.
In addition, seasoned all-rounder Asha Sobhana will also be sidelined due to recovering from an injury and was therefore not considered for selection, while pace bowler Pooja Vastrakar, who sustained an injury during the tournament held in the UAE, has been pulled out of this series.
The roster consists of some uncapped players as Tejal Hasabnis, Saima Thakor and Priya Mishra receive their first call ups.
With Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana as the opening pair, a lot will be expected from them as they only managed to do so in bits and pieces in the T20 extravaganza.
It is pertinent for India that both the grace of the two and the powerful batting order of Shafali do well at the top of the order and set the pace.
As always, Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues will be relied upon to lead the middle order, though Ghosh will not be there to provide the repertoire of boundary hitting that she possesses.
With Harmanpreet not in the best of shape as far as captaincy is concerned, her vice-captain Mandhana will be expected to play a role in assisting the captain through her suggestions.
The three encounters will be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
India Women: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, D Hemalatha, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Uma Chetry (wk), Sayali Satgare, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Tejal Hasabnis, Saima Thakor, Priya Mishra, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil.
New Zealand Women: Sophie Devine (capt), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Lauren Down, Izzy Gaze (wicketkeeper), Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Polly Inglis (wicketkeeper), Fran Jonas, Jess Kerr, Melie Kerr, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu.
