Vadodara, Oct 25 (IANS) Left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma has replaced fast bowler Kranti Gaud as India won the toss and elected to bat first in the second ODI against Zimbabwe at the BCA Stadium on Sunday. India have a 1-0 lead and a win on Sunday will help them take an unassailable three-game series.

After winning the toss, India captain Smriti Mandhana said that the call of resting Kranti was taken with the aim of giving game time to Vaishnavi, who made her ODI debut against Australia in Hobart earlier this year.

“Looks like a good wicket to bat on. We thought of resting Kranti and giving game time to Vaishnavi. To be fair, we just wanted to rest Kranti and give Vaishnavi some game time. It wasn't specifically about pacers versus spinners. But having said that, Vaishnavi bowled exceptionally well in the previous game, so bringing in another left-arm spinner is certainly not a bad option to have,” she said.

Smriti also said Shafali Verma will continue to bat at number three in this game, having hit an unbeaten 64 in the opening match. “Shafali has been in great form since the T20 series. With the kind of explosive batting she brings, she can change the course of a game within a few overs. Plus, she gives us a few useful overs with the ball. So yes, we’re going to stick with Shafali at number three and see how it goes,” she said.

Asked about an aspect of her captaincy which she has enjoyed so far, Smriti stated, “I'd say the communication aspect, just understanding where the players are at mentally and keeping those lines open.

“On a lighter note, managing 50 overs as captain feels like it goes by much faster than when you're just out there fielding! But overall, the best part has been interacting with the team; the players have been brilliant.”

For Zimbabwe, regular skipper Josephine Nkomo is back after missing the opening game due to a shoulder issue, and she believed the visitors need to showcase a bit more positive intent, with Sharne Mayers left out of the playing eleven.

“I think we just need to step up on our batting, just score, just be a little bit more positive, show some intent, and then make sure we have a strong innings getting into the last five overs. Hopefully, we will be able to use the conditions and take a few early wickets, because this wicket is absolutely fair.

“I think we’ve assessed the conditions quite well and adapted really well, I think. In terms of the weather, it’s quite similar to Mumbai, although it’s just a little bit hotter at this time. So it’s not something that we are actually facing for the first time,” she said.

Playing XIs

India: Pratika Rawal, Smriti Mandhana (captain), Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Vaishnavi Sharma, Sayali Satghare, N Sree Charani, and Jintimani Kalita

Zimbabwe: Modester Mupachikwa (wk), Loryn Phiri, Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano, Beloved Biza, Josephine Nkomo (captain), Nyasha Gwanzura, Chiedza Dhururu, Michelle Mavunga, Nomvelo Sibanda, Tendai Makusha, and Olinder Chare

--IANS

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