IND-W vs ZIM-W, 3rd ODI: Few boxes left to check for Zimbabwe, opportunity for India to test bench strength

India will be keeping a keen eye on its bowling attack, including Jintimani Kalita, ahead of a testing multi-format tour of South Africa coming up. | Photo Credit: X @BCCIWomen

The series may be sealed, and a much-needed break is calling out for both India and Zimbabwe before their next international assignments. But there’s still a One-Day International encounter left to bring the curtains down on this historic tour at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara on Wednesday.

The host, with two massive wins, has every reason to experiment without fear. After a day’s break where cafes were visited, friends were met and last-minute shopping lists were ticked off, the Indian team had a full training session under the hot afternoon sun with local security and venue staff keenly watching how Baroda girl Yastika Bhatia — yet to feature in this series — was coming along in the nets.

Harmanpreet Kaur, who has been dealing with a fever for a few days including when she scored her sensational hundred in the second fixture, also had some light hits against the sightscreen before launching a few big shots straight down the ground in the nets.

But the bowling lineup, with its inability to strike as frequently as it might like, has posed a few tough questions to the think tank. If workload calculations work in her favour, India might want to consider handing seamer Nandni Sharma her debut cap. With a testing multi-format tour of South Africa coming up in December, India will want to get any last-minute trials out of the way here.

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Zimbabwe players, meanwhile, snuck a trip to the Statue of Unity, around 90km away from Vadodara, while a few, like the big-hitting Sharne Mayers — who missed the second game due to a groin strain — stayed back to complete recovery.

The Lady Chevrons have their task cut out. They are yet to get to the 50-over finish line, falling short valiantly by barely a few balls. The side also has the 230-250 mark as a box to tick and will hope to end its India sojourn on a high.