Ahead of the first ODI against South Africa, the Indian women’s team received a massive jolt as opener Smriti Mandhana has reportedly been ruled out of the 3-match series due to an injury. According to several media reports, the let-hand batter was hit on her toe during the practice session a couple of days ago.

It has also been learnt that Smriti has fractured her toe, and could be out of action for a while now. She had an ordinary outing in the T20Is, scoring just 46 runs in four innings.

Although the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to confirm the development, a report carried by sportstar.com has stated that Pooja Vastrakar is set to replace the injured batswoman.

After clinching the 6-match T20I series 3-1, Indian women are set to lock horns with the Proteas in the 50-over format. The series begins on Wednesday in Vadodra. The side will be boosted further with the addition of skipper Mithali Raja and veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami. The duo will be expected to use their experience to guide the team to victory.

Squads:

India: Mithali Raj (c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (vc), Punam Raut, Deepti Sharma, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Mansi Joshi, Ekta Bisht, Poonam Yadav, D Hemalatha, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Priya Punia, Pooja Vastrakar

South Africa: Sune Luus (c), Tasmin Brits, Trisha Chetty (wk), Nadine de Klerk, Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Lara Goodall, Marizanne Kapp, Lizelle Lee, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase, Mignon du Preez, Laura Wolvaardt​