Niki Prasad on India debut as Mandhana opts to chase against Zimbabwe
ESPNcricinfoNews article
India went in with Anushka Sharma at No. 3, Harmanpreet Kaur at No. 4 and Niki Prasad at No. 5
Toss: India chose to bowl vs Zimbabwe
In her first match as India's full-time captain, Smriti Mandhana won the toss and opted to chase in the opening T20I of the three-match series against Zimbabwe in Raipur. This is the first time these two teams are facing off in international cricket.
India left out Jintimani Kalita, G Kamalini, Minnu Mani and Prema Rawat. Niki Prasad got her maiden international cap from Mandhana and was pencilled in to bat at No. 5. She's coming in with red-hot form. She hit an unbeaten 54 against Australia A in a T20 game and then put up an all-round show in a one-day game against the same opponents by taking four wickets and scoring a 71-ball 76.
With Jemimah Rodrigues missing out because of her hamstring injury, Prasad and Anushka Sharma, the latter carded at No. 3, have opportunities to stake claim for a long-term spot in India's T20I plans. India also went in with three seamers with allrounder Arundhati Reddy included. They also have three spinners in Deepti Sharma, N Shree Charani and the more regular-time bowling option of Shafali Verma, the T20I vice-captain in this series.
Zimbabwe, meanwhile, welcomed captain Josephine Nkomo to the XI. She had missed their last game against West Indies, and the then stand-in captain Nomvelo Sibanda was out. Zimbabwe had a long batting order with hard-hitting allrounder Michelle Mavunga slated to come in at No. 7.
This is the first women's T20I in Raipur.
India: 1 Smriti Mandhana (capt), 2 Shafali Verma, 3 Anushka Sharma, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur, 5 Niki Prasad, 6 Richa Ghosh (wk), 7 Deepti Sharma, 8 Arundhati Reddy, 9 N Shree Charani, 10 Nandani Sharma, 11 Kranti Gaud
Zimbabwe: 1 Kelis Ndhlovu, 2 Beloved Biza, 3 Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano, 4 Josephine Nkomo (capt), 5 Sharne Mayers, 6 Modester Mupachikwa (wk), 7 Michelle Mavunga, 8 Francisca Chipare, 9 Tendai Makusha, 10 Olinder Chare, 11 Loryn Phiri
Based on ESPNcricinfo reporting