India hosts Zimbabwe in a historic white-ball maiden bilateral series from 16th October as Women in Blue enters a new era under skipper Smriti Mandhana. The bilateral series kickstarts with the T20I leg, followed by a three-match ODI series.
India handed an International debut to the 20-year-old promising batter Niki Prasad. Olinder Chare returned to the side for Zimbabwe.
Sharne Mayers and Kelis Ndhlovu takes Zimbabwe to 114/5
The new Indian skipper Smriti Mandhana won the toss and opted to bowl first. Kranti Gaud provided India with an ideal start removing Beloved Biza in the 1st over of the innings. Wicket-keeper batter Modester Mupachikwa joined Kelis Ndhlovu at the crease and the duo led the recovery with a much-needed 53-run partnership for the 2nd wicket. Shree Charani broke the stand by completing an easy return catch to dismiss Modester Mupachikwa (16 off 26 balls) in the 11th over of the innings to provide the much-needed 2nd breakthrough for India.
A 22-run stand for the 3rd wicket between Kelis Ndhlovu (42 off 44 balls) and Sharne Mayers, followed by another 31-run stand for the 4th wicket between Nyasha Gwanzura (9 off 11 balls) and Sharne Mayers (43* off 33 balls) kept the scoreboard ticking. Zimbabwe posted a competitive total of 114/5 in their quota of 20 overs.
Nandni Sharma (4-0-11-2), Shree Charani (4-0-14-1), Kranti Gaud (2-0-16-1), and Deepti Sharma (4-0-22-0) were the top performers with the ball for India.
Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad hold their nerve as India takes 1-0 lead
Chasing a tricky total of 115, the Indian openers Shafali Verma and new skipper Smriti Mandhana in particular got India off to a flier smashing 14 runs in the opening over of the run chase, which included three boundaries. Nyasha Gwanzura got the big scalp of the opposition skipper Smriti Mandhana (9 off 6 balls) in the 2nd over to provide the 1st breakthrough for Zimbabwe.
The home side collapsed further as they were eventually reduced to 19/4 in the 4th over of the run chase. Deepti Sharma (49 off 37 balls) joined debutant Niki Prasad at the crease and the pair weathered the storm and led the recovery with a record highest 5th wicket stand worth 82 runs. The partnership took India past the 100-run mark. Olinder Chare broke the stand by sending Deepti Sharma back to the pavilion in the 14th over of the run chase to bring the visitors back into the contest.
The 20-year-old debutant Niki Prasad (39* off 35 balls) showed remarkable character and the nerves of steal to guide India over the line with 4 wickets in hand and 26 balls to spare to take a 1-0 lead in the series. Nyasha Gwanzura (3-0-18-3), Mitchelle Mavunga (3-1-19-1), Beloved Biza (4-0-27-1), and Olinder Chare (3-0-23-1) were the top performers with the ball for Zimbabwe. Deepti Sharma was awarded the Player of the Match for her all-round impact, playing a crucial role as India take 1-0 lead in the T20I series.
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.