In the series-deciding third ODI between India and New Zealand in Ahmedabad, New Zealand captain Sophie Devine won the toss and elected to bat first, continuing the trend of the series. Both teams made minor adjustments to their lineups, with India introducing Renuka Singh in place of Arundhati Reddy and New Zealand replacing Jess Kerr with Hannah Rowe.
The pitch in Ahmedabad appeared dry and hard under sunny skies, with temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius. The series is currently tied 1-1, with India winning the first match and New Zealand leveling the series in the second. Notably, the team batting first has emerged victorious in both ODIs thus far.
In the first ODI, India was dismissed for 227 in 44.3 overs, but their bowlers rallied to restrict New Zealand to 168 in 40.4 overs. In the second ODI, Devine excelled with both bat and ball, leading New Zealand to a 76-run victory.
India’s batting lineup for this match consists of Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Renuka Singh, Saima Thakor, and Priya Mishra.
New Zealand’s batting order includes Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Lauren Down, Sophie Devine, Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Izzy Gaze, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu, Eden Carson, and Fran Jonas.
After this series, India will embark on a three-match ODI tour of Australia beginning on December 5th. New Zealand, on the other hand, will host Australia for a three-game ODI series starting on December 19th.
