India Women Decimate Zimbabwe by 9 Wickets in Raipur: Smriti Mandhana & Shafali Verma Seal T20I Series

• by Akanksha Mishra
• 2026-10-19 07:44:00

In a masterclass of ruthless hitting and disciplined bowling, the Indian women's cricket team blew away Zimbabwe by nine wickets in the second T20 International at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur on Sunday. Chasing an unchallenging target of 103 runs after choking the visitors to a modest 102 in the first innings, the explosive opening combination of dynamic opener Shafali Verma and stand-in skipper Smriti Mandhana turned the contest into a one-sided blowout. Ripping through the opposition bowling lineup with clean power-hitting, the batting duo gunned down the total in just 8.5 overs, sealing an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match bilateral series and marking Mandhana’s maiden bilateral trophy triumph as India captain in commanding fashion.

Disciplined Bowling Squeeze: Zimbabwe Restrained to 102 in Raipur

Electing to field first, the Women in Blue exerted unrelenting pressure right from the opening over to tie down the Zimbabwean batters:

Top-Order Stumbles Early: Zimbabwe’s opening pair encountered severe turbulence right away as Kelis Ndhlovu was dismissed for a duck, while fellow opener Beloved Biza was kept in check before departing for just seven runs.

Middle-Order Resistance: Experienced middle-order batter Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano waged a lone battle, anchoring the visitors' innings with a gritty 34 runs, while captain Josephine Nkomo contributed a patient 27 runs to nudge the score into triple digits.

Team Effort from the Bowling Attack: Young talent Niki Prasad spearheaded the bowling unit by claiming two wickets, while clinical support came from Kranti Gaud, Nandini Sharma, Deepti Sharma, and Shree Charani, who picked up one wicket apiece to fold Zimbabwe's innings at 102.

Shafali-Mandhana Carnage: Target Overhauled in Just 8.5 Overs

The run chase turned into an exhibition of clean boundary-hitting as the Indian openers unleashed a blistering assault during the powerplay:

Shafali Verma’s Explosive Fifty: Flamboyant opener Shafali Verma took the bowling attack apart, smashing a sensational 55 runs off only 25 deliveries with audacious strokes across both sides of the wicket.

Captaining from the Front: Skipper Smriti Mandhana looked in supreme touch, remaining unbeaten on 47 runs off just 25 deliveries, striking boundaries at will and punishing loose deliveries with effortless timing.

Lighting-Fast Chase: India wrapped up the contest with 67 balls to spare, losing only one wicket along the way to register an emphatic nine-wicket win that delighted the enthusiastic crowd in Raipur.

Smriti Mandhana Lauds Bowling Execution: 'Unit Came Together Today'

Speaking at the post-match presentation, India captain Smriti Mandhana expressed satisfaction with her team’s clinical execution, especially from the bowling department:

Praise for Pace Variations: Mandhana commended the frontline pacers for their bounce and change of pace, stating: "Well, it was a good one today. I felt the bowlers were really at the mark today, much better than the first match. They were executing their yorkers, slower ones, and bouncers really well."

Spin Squeeze in Middle Overs: Crediting the slow-bowling contingent for keeping the runs down, the skipper added: "Then spinners, of course, Deepti, Shree, and Niki came in and bowled those two overs. So overall I feel like, yeah, the bowling unit really came together today."

Scope for Fielding Improvement: Setting higher standards for the upcoming fixtures, Mandhana conceded that the side could still sharpen their catching, noting: "Of course, we could have gotten better with the catching today."

Previous Post

BAN vs PAK: Pakistan opener scores century in debut Test, name among 14 players, this happened after 17 years

Next Post

Shafali Verma Overtakes Smriti Mandhana with Historic 9th Fifty-Plus Knock in a Calendar Year