Defending champions India begin new Championship cycle in Vadodara

Big picture - Long road to 2029 World Cup

It's been a while since India last played an ODI. The defending champions will finally begin their 2025-29 Women's Championship campaign with a three-match series against Zimbabwe, having played only three ODIs since winning the World Cup in November 2025. All three came against Australia in Australia in March, with India losing all three.

That leaves India as the only team yet to feature in this Championship cycle, while West Indies have already played 12 matches and New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe have played nine each.

India will hope the series marks a fresh start in this format, with Smriti Mandhana having already begun her captaincy tenure on a winning note, leading the side to a 3-0 sweep of Zimbabwe in T20Is. Harmanpreet Kaur, too, appears to have found some freedom, saying she could now play without pressure after smashing an unbeaten 91 off 41 in the final T20I. The action now shifts from Raipur to Vadodara, a familiar venue for India, having already played ODIs and the WPL there this year.

With the next World Cup still three years away, Mandhana's India have time to build towards the tournament, though the Championship points give the ODIs a significance beyond the series itself.

Zimbabwe showed glimpses of a challenge during the T20I leg despite losing the series, but they also arrive on the back of a historic first ODI win against West Indies in September. Having lost eight of their nine matches in the current Championship cycle, they will be keen to build on that breakthrough and register their first win on the India tour.

Form guide

India: LLLWW (last five completed T20Is, most recent first) Zimbabwe: LWLLL

In the spotlight - Smriti Mandhana and Nyasha Gwanzura

2025 was Smriti Mandhana's year. She scored 1,362 runs in 23 ODIs, including five centuries and five half-centuries. In the four matches that she captained India before, she had hit 254 runs at a strike rate of 149.41, with a century and a fifty. Mandhana can be a formidable presence in the format, and India will hope she can carry that same intent into her captaincy.

With just 16 ODIs under her belt, Nyasha Gwanzura will be the one to watch for Zimbabwe. The offspin-bowling allrounder picked up four wickets in the T20I series in Raipur, including a three-wicket haul in which she dismissed Mandhana and Shafali Verma. She also played a key role with both bat and ball in Zimbabwe's stunning win over West Indies in Harare in September.

Team news

Fast bowler Renuka Singh has been ruled out of the series as she is still "building up the bowling volume required for the 50-over format". Jintimani Kalita has been named her replacement. India might be tempted to hand Nandani Sharma her ODI debut. She took six wickets in the T20I series and has impressed since making her T20I debut in May. Left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma has also returned to the squad. It remains to be seen which of the two Sharmas, if either, gets a game tomorrow.

India(probable): 1 Pratika Rawal, 2 Smriti Mandhana (capt), 3 Shafali Verma, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur, 5 Harleen Deol, 6 Deepti Sharma, 7 Richa Ghosh (wk), 8 Kranti Gaud, 9 Vaishnavi Sharma, 10 Shree Charani, 11 Nandani Sharma/Sayali Satghare

Zimbabwe rotated their squad and also made Sharne Mayers play at the top and in the middle order in the series against West Indies. They have seamers in Nomvelo Sibanda, Francisca Chipare, Tendai Makusha, Michelle Mavunga and spin options in Olinder Chare, Nyasha Gwanzura and Beloved Biza.

Zimabbwe (probable): 1 Modester Mupachikwa (wk), 2 Kelis Ndhlovu, 3 Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano, 4 Beloved Biza, 5 Josephine Nkomo (capt), 6 Sharne Mayers/Chiyedza Dhururu, 7 Nyasha Gwanzura, 8 Michelle Mavunga, 9 Nomvelo Sibanda, 10 Francisca Chipare, Olinder Chare/Tendai Makusha

Pitch and conditions

India's only ODI series at the Kotambi Stadium came in 2024 when they swept West Indies 3-0. They scored 314 and 358 in the first two matches before chasing down 163 in 29 overs to seal the series. Another batting-friendly surface could be in store on the black-soil pitch. Vadodara is expected to be mostly sunny with temperature touching 36 degree Celsius during the day. Dew might play a part in the second innings when the conditions become more pleasant.

Stats ans trivia Friday will be the fifth time Mandhana leads India in an ODI. Deepti Sharma has 88 wickets in 52 ODIs played at home. Beloved Biza is Zimbabwe's highest run-getter in ODIs this year, with 237 runs in nine matches.