Kalita Gets India Cap as Historic India-Zimbabwe Women's ODI Begins

History was made at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi, Vadodara, on Friday: the first-ever women's ODI between India and Zimbabwe got underway — and India handed an ODI debut to seam-bowling all-rounder Jintimani Kalita, who received her cap from Harmanpreet Kaur before the start of play.

Kalita, 22, had been named as a replacement for Renuka Singh Thakur in India's ODI squad a day earlier. The BCCI said Renuka — still building the bowling volume required for 50-over cricket at the Centre of Excellence — is "not yet ready for the demands of the 50-over format." Kalita, already with the touring party after the T20I series in Raipur, stepped straight in.

Who is Jintimani Kalita?

The Assam pacer has taken the long road to blue. She became the first female cricketer from Assam to feature in the Women's Premier League when Mumbai Indians signed her for Rs 10 lakh in the inaugural auction, playing 13 matches for MI across the 2023 and 2025 seasons. Gujarat Giants signed her as an injury replacement for Titas Sadhu in January 2026 and retained her for the 2027 season, while her India A outings — including the white-ball series against Australia A in September — strengthened her case for the senior side.

A landmark series for the women's game

Beyond the debut, this series carries real weight. It is India's first game of the new ICC Women's Championship cycle that runs until the 2029 ODI World Cup, India's first ODI since February 2026, and only their second series since the maiden World Cup triumph at home in November 2025 — a campaign in which Renuka was a key figure, making her continued absence a notable gap.

Smriti Mandhana captains the side with Deepti Sharma as vice-captain; Tejal Hasabnis slots in at No. 5 in the absence of the injured Jemimah Rodrigues (hamstring, picked up during The Hundred). All three ODIs count towards the Championship, so there is no dead rubber in sight.