It will be a trial by fire for skipper Harmanpreet Kaur as India begin preparations for next year's World Cup with the three-match IND-W vs NZ-W ODI series starting on Thursday, having recently endured another failure at claiming an ICC title.

The IND-W vs NZ-W ODI series will be vital for Kaur who has faced flak for her captaincy during the recently-held T20 World Cup in the UAE, where India failed to clear the group stage even though the skipper emerged as the team's highest scorer in the tournament.