Brisbane, February 24 – India won the toss and chose to bat first against Australia in the first One Day International (ODI) of the three-game series at The Gabba on Tuesday.
The stage may change, but the focus remains on the same key players as the two teams face off. India enters the 50-over contest following a 2-1 victory in the T20I series, powered by outstanding individual performances.
Smriti Mandhana topped the run charts with 129 runs, while Georgia Voll impressed for Australia with 116. With the ball, India had the upper hand, with Arundhati Reddy claiming eight wickets to lead the tally, and Shree Charani adding five crucial scalps.
The spotlight now shifts to the ODI arena, a format where Australia's legacy looms large. As seven-time world champions with a commanding head-to-head record against India, they have traditionally set the benchmark in one-day cricket. However, India will aim to build on the momentum and confidence gained from their T20I success.
This series also marks Australian captain Alyssa Healy's last, with the experienced wicketkeeper-batter set to retire from international cricket after the home series.
Winning the toss, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said, "I think batting first will be a better option for us today. So that's why, as a group, we decided that let's bat first. I feel it's an opportunity, because last day when we played the World Cup, we all had a lot of fun, and hopefully, today we will too. We do have a few changes. Kashvee is back in the side. And I'll give you the playing list so you can just go through it."
Meanwhile, Healy said, "It's a great day. I would have loved to bowl first. So, we've got the desired result, but we obviously have to start really well and make use of this fresh wicket. It's been very unusual, but also really enjoyable to watch what unfolds in the next couple of games. So, it's nice to be back, nice to be put under pressure by the Indian side. They've started really well in the series, so we're going to have to fight really well in this ODI series to regain some momentum. I just think starting really well in this series is important. We pride ourselves on our one-day game. We like these conditions, and we play really well in these conditions."
"So hopefully, we can remain consistent in what we do well, and hopefully, that throws the first punch. No Perry, no Garth. They picked up injuries in the third T20. That's probably the two notable changes."
Playing XIs:
India: Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Kashvee Gautam, Sree Charani, Kranti Gaud, Renuka Singh
Australia: Alyssa Healy (c), Phoebe Litchfield, Georgia Voll, Beth Mooney (wk), Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molienux, Alana King, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown
