Niki Prasad, Openers, Powers India to seal the T20I Series with a commanding 9-wicket win against Zimbabwe.
The home side survived a scare courtesy of a spirited bowling performance from the Josephine Nkomo-led unit in a low-scoring thriller in the 1st T20I on 16th October, which India eventually won by 4 wickets to kickstart the new era under skipper Smriti Mandhana at Raipur, giving a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series.
Both sides retained the same team that took the field in their opening clash of the historic white-ball series, which includes a three-match T20I series followed by a three-match ODI series from 16th to 28th October 2026.
Niki Prasad’s double strike headlines India’s dominant bowling show
The visiting Zimbabwean skipper Josephine Nkomo won the toss and surprisingly opted to bat in the 2nd T20I. The top order yet again struggled to show some intent in the powerplay, and were reduced to 30/3 in the 9th over of the innings, including the wicket of their in-form Sharne Mayers (9 off 10 balls).
Skipper Josephine Nkomo (27* off 35 balls) joined Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano (34 off 32 balls) at the crease, and the duo not only switched gears, but also stitched a much-needed 45-run partnership for the 4th wicket, which took them past the 70-run mark. Skipper Smriti Mandhana handed the ball to the debutant of the series, Niki Prasad, bowling off-spin in the 15th over of the innings, and she wasted no time to display her skills, striking twice in two balls. She became the 1st Indian to pick up a wicket on the first ball of her International career, returning with match figures (2-0-7-2) in her impressive spell.
Another crucial 19-run stand for the 6th wicket between the wicket-keeper batter Modester Mupachikwa (9 off 11 balls) and skipper Josephine Nkomo took them closer to the 100-run mark, before eventually posting 102/8 in their quota of 20 overs. Shree Charani (4-0-21-1), Kranti Gaud (4-0-15-1), Nandani Sharma (3-0-17-1) and Arundhati Reddy (3-0-17-0) were the top performers with the ball for India.
Indian Openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana gave India a dominant win to clinch the T20I series
Chasing a target of 103, the Indian openers, vice-captain Shafali Verma and the new skipper Smriti Mandhana, smashed the leather of the ball ruthlessly all over the park, en route to their decisive 96-run opening stand. Beloved Biza (1-0-9-1) finally managed to get the better of Shafali Verma (55 off 25 balls) in the 8th over of the innings to provide the first breakthrough for Zimbabwe.
Skipper Smriti Mandhana (47* off 25 balls) ensured India wrapped up the game and bagged the T20I series in 8.5 overs, with 9 wickets in hand. Shafali Verma was awarded the Player of the Match for a sensational half-century (55 off 25 balls), with her knock including 6 boundaries and 4 sixes, scoring at a mind-blowing strike rate of 220. India will be keen to inflict a whitewash in the T20I series on 20th October 2026 at the same venue.
I am Yash Tailor, and I believe work should be driven by passion. Therefore, after completing my Engineering, I chose to work in the Cricket industry, my passion. My goal is to reach a stage where I truly enjoy what I do and give my best to every task with energy and purpose.