Two players of Team India have made their debut against New Zealand. No, this was not seen in the Pune Test but in the first ODI being played between the women's teams of India and New Zealand in Ahmedabad. Tejal Hasabnis and Saima Thakor made their debut in this match from India. Both of them got their debut cap from Smriti Mandhana and Jemima Rodriguez. A series of 3 ODIs is to be played between India and New Zealand.
Both the players who participated in the Ahmedabad ODI against New Zealand are from Maharashtra. Tejal got the debut cap from Smriti Mandhana while Saima got the cap from Jemima. That means, both the players from Maharashtra were given caps by two players from Maharashtra only. Saima Thakor is a right-arm fast bowler who has played 6 matches in WPL and taken 3 wickets. Tejal Hasabnis is known as a batsman.
Special Day 🤗
— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) October 24, 2024
A memorable moment for Tejal Hasabnis and Saima Thakor as they receive their #TeamIndia 🧢 from @mandhana_smriti and @JemiRodrigues respectively 👏
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/jMDOhGEaqb#INDvNZ | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/H1TybluWP7
Regular captain Harmanpreet Kaur is not playing in the first ODI against New Zealand. In her place, Smriti Mandhana is in the hands of captaincy. India won the toss and decided to bat first. Team India's opening pair has disappointed here too. India's opening pair has been broken after Smriti Mandhana was out after scoring 5 runs. This is the first international match in which the Indian team is seen playing after being eliminated from the group stage in the Women's T20 World Cup.
Talking about the New Zealand team is the new champion of the Women's T20 World Cup. The Kiwi women's team has come to India with a high spirit. Of course, the series against India is a one-day series, but the challenge posed by the Kiwi team is still big.
