Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], October 20 (ANI): India Women won the toss and elected to bat first in the third and final T20I of the ongoing series against Zimbabwe Women at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium on Tuesday.
The Women in Blue have already secured an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, having won the opening match by four wickets and the second T20I by nine wickets. India will now look to complete a clean sweep with another victory in the final match.
Speaking after the toss, India captain Smriti Mandhana said the decision to bat first was aimed at giving the middle-order batters more time in the middle.
“We will bat first today as we want more game time for the middle order. In T20 cricket, we have to play positively. I don't have a number in mind, but we are looking at 180 plus,” Mandhana said.
She also confirmed that Sree Charani was resting for the match, with Prema Rawat coming into the playing XI.
Highlighting India's power-hitting options, Mandhana added, “When you have players like Shafali, definitely we will have more sixes.”
Zimbabwe captain Josephine Nkomo said her team had also been keen to bat first and expected the playing conditions to remain largely unchanged.
“We were looking to bat first. I don't think the conditions will change much, and we are looking to do well in the power-plays. We are trying to rotate the strike more and play positively,” Nkomo said.
She also stressed the importance of continuous improvement, adding, “You need to put in a lot of hard work and be willing to learn every game. We want to do well in all formats.”
With the series already decided, India will aim to maintain their winning momentum and finish the T20I leg on a high, while Zimbabwe will look to end the series with a consolation victory.
Teams:
Zimbabwe Women (Playing XI): Kelis Ndhlovu, Beloved Biza, Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano, Sharne Mayers, Josephine Nkomo(c), Nyasha Gwanzura, Modester Mupachikwa(w), Kudzai Chigora, Loryn Phiri, Tendai Makusha, Nomvelo Sibanda
India Women (Playing XI): Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana(c), Anushka Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Niki Prasad, Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Nandani Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Prema Rawat. (ANI)
India Women win toss, opt to bat against Zimbabwe in 3rd T20I
