Vaishnavi Sharma Gets Chance as India Face Zimbabwe in Vadodara

Vadodara: India women's team has made a tactical change for the second ODI against Zimbabwe, which is underway at the BCA Cricket Stadium here. Vaishnavi Sharma replaces pacer Kranti Gaur in the playing eleven.

Smriti Mandhana won the toss and asked India to bat first. The visitors trail 0-1 in the three-match series.

India enter the match with a 1-0 lead after a nine-wicket win in the opening ODI.

Explaining the selection, Mandhana said the team wanted to give Kranti a break and provide Vaishnavi with game time. Vaishnavi made her ODI debut in Hobart earlier this year against Australia.

"The surface looks good for batting," she said. "We considered resting Kranti and letting Vaishnavi play. Our real intention was simply to rest Kranti and get Vaishnavi some time out there. We did not pick the spinner deliberately over the fast bowler. Vaishnavi was superb in the last game, so another left-arm spinner in the side is a sensible choice."

Shafali Verma keeps her place at number three. She struck an unbeaten 64 in the opener.

"Shafali has been in terrific form since the T20 series," Mandhana noted. "The way she attacks can change a match in a handful of overs. She also contributes with the ball, so we will stick with number three and see how it unfolds."

Reflecting on her captaincy, Mandhana said her favourite part has been communicating with the squad. "Understanding where each player is mentally and keeping that dialogue open has been the best part," she said. "It may sound light, but managing 50 overs as captain feels much quicker than standing in the field. Overall, the team interaction has been the highlight, and every player has performed well."

Zimbabwe have welcomed back regular captain Josephine Nkomo, who missed the first ODI with a shoulder problem. Shane Myers has been left out of the eleven.

After losing the toss, Nkomo stressed that her side must improve its batting and display a more positive mindset. "We need to make sure our innings stays firm until the final five overs. We hope to use the conditions and strike early, because this pitch is fairly balanced," she said.

She added, "We have read the conditions well and adapted to them. The weather is largely similar to Mumbai, only slightly hotter at the moment, so this is not new territory for us."

India's playing eleven: Pratika Rawal, Smriti Mandhana (captain), Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Vaishnavi Sharma, Sayali Satghare, Sree Charani and Jintimani Kalita.

Zimbabwe's playing eleven: Modester Mupachikwa (wicketkeeper), Lorraine Phiri, Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano, Bilvad Biza, Josephine Nkomo (captain), Nyasha Gwanzura, Chiedza Dhururu, Mishelle Mavunga, Nomvelo Sibanda, Tendai Makusha and Olinda Chare.