IND-W vs SA-W First ODI Toss Highlights: India wins the toss, opts to bat, debut for Asha Sobhana and Annerie Dercksen

India Women host South Africa Women in three ODIs to be held at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The first fixture gets underway in the city on Sunday, June 16.

The Indian Women’s cricket team will get a busy monsoon cricketing season underway, with the first step being hosting South Africa for a multi-format series | Photo Credit: K Murali Kumar

India and South Africa will be eager to achieve different goals with the broader picture of the Women’s T20 World Cup hanging in the backdrop when they begin a three-week long all-format series with the first ODI here on Sunday.

In the year of T20 WC, the 50-over matches might look a bit incongruous but they are significant for the two teams looking to hit a busy road to the ICC showpiece, to be hosted by Bangladesh in October, on a winning note, and gain momentum.

TOSS: India opts to bat

Teams:

South Africa Women (Playing XI): Laura Wolvaardt(c), Tazmin Brits, Anneke Bosch, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Annerie Dercksen, Nondumiso Shangase, Sinalo Jafta(w), Masabata Klaas, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Ayabonga Khaka

India Women (Playing XI): Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Dayalan Hemalatha, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav, Asha Sobhana, Renuka Thakur Singh

The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side, which had lost the ODI and T20I series against Australia at home this January, came roaring back, blanking Bangladesh 5-0 in a recent away T20I series and the hosts would like to build on it further.

Ahead of their series opener against South Africa, Harmanpreet Kaur has won the toss for India and has opted to bat first. Knowing the M Chinnaswamy stadium, her side has a tough job of putting up a competitive score for South Africa to chase down.

BENGALURU WEATHER FORECAST FOR TODAY

Our correspondent Sudarshan says it’s bright and sunny in the Karnataka capital today. However, there’s fairly cloudy weather predicted for most part of the day. Cool temperatures expected with a maximum of 29 degrees. There’s a chance of mild showers around 6pm, but knowing Bengaluru's erratic spread of rain, the game may just go on unaffected.

Ticket details:

Three price brackets have been made available for this series in Bengaluru - Rs. 150, 250 and 1250. Currently only the 250 and 1250 range tickets are available and can be purchased on Paytm Insider.

TOSS RECORD AT THE M CHINNASWAMY STADIUM:

The M Chinnaswamy Stadium has hosted 12 Women’s ODIs in its history. The last women’s ODI hosted here was in July 2015, when India took on New Zealand. Teams winning the toss have won six games and lost six games. Teams batting first have won only three games at this venue, a ground known to favour chasing sides courtesy its smaller peripheries.

Where to watch IND vs SA First ODI?

The first ODI between India Women and South Africa Women will be broadcast on the Sports18 network in India. The live streaming for this match will be available through the JioCinema app and website.

SQUADS:

INDIA: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (WK), Uma Chetri (WK), Dayalan Hemlatha, Radha Yadav, Asha Sobhana, Shreyanka Patil, Saika Ishaque, Pooja Vastrakar, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Priya Punia.

SOUTH AFRICA: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Mieke de Ridder, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Suné Luus, Eliz-Mari Marz, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukune, Nondumiso Shangase, Delmi Tucker.