Cricket

India's women's cricket team, led by Smriti Mandhana in the absence of injured captain Harmanpreet Kaur, chose to bat first in the opening ODI against New Zealand at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad. This is the first women's ODI to be played at this venue since April 2013.India handed ODI debuts to Tejal Hasabnis and Saima Thakor, while Arundhati Reddy and Renuka Singh provided the pace options. Deepti Sharma and Radha Yadav were the spin options, with D Hemalatha batting at No. 4 in place of Harmanpreet. Yastika Bhatia took over the wicketkeeping duties and batted at one-down.New Zealand, who are looking to earn crucial ICC Women's Championship points in this series, fielded a similar lineup to the one that won them the T20 World Cup earlier this year. Lauren Down, returning from maternity leave, slotted into the lower middle order, while tall fast bowler Molly Penfold made her debut. Experienced fast bowler Lea Tahuhu was rested.

India A registered a resounding 172-run victory over Australia A in the third and final one-day international in Mackay, Australia, on Sunday. The triumph marked India A's first win of their tour and prevented a series sweep by the hosts.Legspinner Priya Mishra, making her debut in the series, played a pivotal role in India A's victory. She claimed a five-wicket haul, bowling out Australia A for a paltry 72 runs. The Australian side was dismissed within 23 overs, losing their last eight wickets for just 24 runs.India A, batting first, posted a competitive total of 243 for 9. Tejal Hasabnis (50) and Raghvi Bist (53) shared a crucial 104-run partnership for the fourth wicket, lifting India A from a precarious 43 for 3. Sajeevan Sajana and captain Minnu Mani also made valuable contributions down the order.Australia A's chase got off to a disastrous start as S Yashasri dismissed opener Charli Knott for 11 in the fourth over. Meghna Singh then removed captain Tahlia McGrath in the following over. Mishra took over from there, bowling out Maddy Darke, Nicole Faltum, Tess Flintoff, Kate Peterson, and Hancock in quick succession.Mishra's impressive performance earned her figures of 5 for 14 in her five overs. She was ably supported by Yashasri, who finished with 2 for 19, and Singh, who claimed 2 for 21.Despite the loss, Australia A won the series 2-1, having also clinched the T20 series 3-0. The two sides will now face off in an unofficial Test match from August 22.