Ahmedabad, Oct 24 (IANS) Saima Thakor and Tejal Hasabnis have been handed their international debuts as India’s stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana won the toss and elected to bat first against New Zealand in the ODI series opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday.

"Harmanpreet Kaur has a niggle and has been rested for the 1st ODI. Smriti Mandhana will be leading the side in her absence," BCCI wrote on X.

The match marks India’s return to international action after suffering a group-stage exit in the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE, which was eventually won by Sophie Devine-led New Zealand, who got their second major silverware in women’s cricket.

India and New Zealand have faced each other 54 times in women's ODI games - India have won 20 of those, compared to New Zealand's 33, while one match ended in a tie. The last ODI series between the two nations took place in February 2022, won 4-1 by New Zealand.

Saima, the pacer from Mumbai, will handle fast-bowling duties alongside Arundhati Reddy and Renuka Singh Thakur. Deepti Sharma, Dayalan Hemalatha, Radha Yadav and Tejal will handle spin-bowling duties. The series marks the start of preparations for both teams ahead of 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup, to be held in India next year.

New Zealand are currently placed sixth on the ICC Women’s Championship points table with 18 points from 18 matches. With six matches left in their cycle, they need wins to have a chance at securing automatic qualification for the mega event.

For New Zealand, most of the players who featured in the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup final are in the eleven for the ODI series opener, with Molly Penfold and Jess Kerr included after not playing much of a part in their silverware triumph in Dubai.

Playing XIs

India: Smriti Mandhana (captain), Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Dayalan Hemalatha, Jemimah Rodrigues, Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Saima Thakor, Renuka Singh Thakur.

New Zealand: Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine (captain), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Lauren Down, Izabelle Gaze (wicketkeeper), Jess Kerr, Molly Penfold, Eden Carson.