New Zealand Bowl First Against India as Rodrigues Returns to the XI

Sophie Devine has won the toss and New Zealand decided to bowl first in their important match against India at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

New Zealand retained the same team that it used in the previous match against Pakistan in Colombo four days ago, with three frontline seamers: Rosemary Mair, Lea Tahuhu, and Jess Kerr, and two specialist spinners, Eden Carson and Melie Kerr.

Only one player was replaced to strengthen the batting lineup in India. Jemimah Rodrigues joined the XI as a replacement for Amanjot Kaur, who bowled only four overs during the previous game against England in Indore. The change offers a wide range to the middle order.

India did not change their pace attack, and Renuka Singh and Kranti Gaud led the bowling attack. They are supported by a spin trio, Shree Charani, Deepti Sharma, and Sneh Rana, who play a major role in managing the middle overs.

India comes into the match with three consecutive losses to South Africa, Australia, and England, and wants to address that situation. The game is a must-win because a win would make their path to the semi-finals easier.

New Zealand needs to win both of its exceptional matches to stay in the semi-final race. In case teams are tied on points, the number of wins will decide the rankings, making this match important to both teams.

The last time the teams met in an ODI series was in Ahmedabad last year, where India won 2-1. Both teams are looking to repeat that achievement to keep their campaigns alive.

India XI: 

Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Renuka Singh, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charan

New Zealand XI: 

Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine (capt), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Isabella Gaze (wk), Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Eden Carson, Lea Tahuhu