After Women’s T20 WC, India to play three ODIs against New Zealand in Ahmedabad

BILKULONLINE

 New Delhi, Oct 14: After the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup ends on October 20 in Dubai, India will be playing three ODIs against New Zealand on October 24, 27 and 29, respectively, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

As per the fixtures announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the three-match series is a part of the ICC Women’s ODI Championship 2022-25. New Zealand are currently placed sixth in the 10-team championship standings, having won only eight of their 18 ODIs so far. India, who are the hosts for the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup, have gained automatic qualification for the mega event. Apart from India, top five teams in the championship table will progress to the main event, while the remaining four sides will have to go through the qualifiers to earn their spots for the World Cup.

With both teams expected to be at their full strength for the short ODI series, it means players from both teams will miss initial matches of the 2024 Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) in Australia. This year’s WBBL will see India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, batter Jemimah Rodrigues, wicketkeeper Yastika Bhatia, all-rounders Deepti Sharma, Dayalan Hemalatha and Shikha Pandey participate in the eight-team competition.

New Zealand will also have captain-cum- batting all-rounder Sophie Devine, opener Suzie Bates and leg-spin all-rounder Amelia Kerr play in the tournament. After the WBBL ends on December 1, the Indian team is scheduled to play three ODIs against current ODI World Cup holders Australia from December 5-11. India and New Zealand had recently met in the ongoing T20 World Cup, where New Zealand registered a 58-run win over India at Dubai International Stadium on October 6.