India Faces Zimbabwe in First ODI: Jintimani Kalita Makes Her Debut

In the first ODI of the series, Zimbabwe Women won the toss and chose to bat against India. With captain Josephine Nkomo absent due to injury, Nomvelo Sibanda leads the team. India introduces Jintimani Kalita for her ODI debut, aiming to continue their winning momentum after a successful T20I series. Smriti Mandhana, the Indian captain, acknowledges the changes in the squad and expresses confidence in adapting to the ODI format. The match promises to be an exciting encounter as both teams look to establish their dominance.

By Narendra Chaudhary Oct 23, 2026, 15:34 IST

Match Preview: India vs Zimbabwe Women

File image of Jintimani Kalita(Photo: @HiPrsm/X)

Vadodara, Oct 23: In the opening ODI of the three-match series, Zimbabwe's women's team has won the toss and opted to bat first against India at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi this Friday.

Zimbabwe will be missing their captain, Josephine Nkomo, due to a minor injury. Nomvelo Sibanda will take over as the acting captain for this match.

On the Indian side, all-rounder Jintimani Kalita is set to make her ODI debut. Under the leadership of Smriti Mandhana, the team aims to maintain their winning streak after a clean sweep in the recent T20I series.

After the toss, Sibanda expressed her team's intention to score runs early. She stated, "We want to put runs on the board, create scoreboard pressure, and have our batters take charge. With our regular captain Nkomo sidelined, we aim to build on the positives from the previous series."

Indian captain Mandhana acknowledged the numerous changes in the lineup compared to the T20I matches. She praised Jintimani, who has stepped in for Renuka Singh, highlighting her impressive performance in the India A series.

Mandhana remarked, "We were also inclined to bat first; the conditions are favorable for batting. However, knowing what we need to chase is beneficial. Jintimani is an exciting player, and while we have made several changes from the T20I squad, we are confident in our ability to adapt to this format. We have practiced well, and while the pitch has changed from black soil to red, it resembles the familiar Baroda conditions."

Playing XIs

Zimbabwe Women: Beloved Biza, Sharne Mayers, Nyasha Gwanzura, Modester Mupachikwa (wk), Chiedza Dhururu, Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano, Michelle Mavunga, Nomvelo Sibanda (c), Tendai Makusha, Loryn Phiri, and Olinder Chare.

India Women: Smriti Mandhana (c), Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur, Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Shree Charani, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare, Jintimani Kalita.