Friday night at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur belonged to India Women – but only after a scare that turned a routine chase into one of the most dramatic rescue acts of the season. Chasing a modest 115 against Zimbabwe Women in the 1st T20I of the historic first bilateral series between the two sides, India lost four wickets inside the powerplay before Deepti Sharma (49 off 37) and debutant Niki Prasad (39 not out off 35) rebuilt with an 82-run stand. India reached 116/6 in 15.4 overs to win by four wickets, take a 1-0 lead, and give Smriti Mandhana a winning start as India’s full-time captain. It was also the first women’s T20I ever played at this venue. (Read our pre-match preview of this game: India Women vs Zimbabwe Women, 1st T20I preview.)
India’s Innings: From 19/4 to a Four-Wicket Win
Chasing 115, India’s innings fell apart in the opening exchanges. Nyasha Gwanzura struck in her first over, removing captain Smriti Mandhana for 9 (a top-edged pull caught by Tendai Makusha), then had Anushka Sharma caught for 4 later in the same over. Michelle Mavunga had Harmanpreet Kaur caught for 1, and Gwanzura returned to dismiss Shafali Verma – via a diving caught-and-bowled – leaving India 19/4 inside four overs. A chase that was supposed to be routine had become a crisis.
That was the cue for Deepti Sharma and the debutant Niki Prasad. The pair rebuilt calmly: Deepti found the boundary eight times in her 49 off 37 balls, while Prasad grew into her debut with six fours in an unbeaten 39 off 35. Their 82-run fifth-wicket stand dragged India from embarrassment to the brink of victory. Deepti fell one short of a fifty, top-edging Olinder Chare to Sharne Mayers at 101/5, and Richa Ghosh (7 off 5) holed out at 110/6 – but Prasad held her nerve. With the scores level, she drove Tendai Makusha through mid-off for four to finish the chase in style, a boundary that sealed both the win and a memorable debut. Arundhati Reddy (2 not out) was unbeaten at the other end.
Zimbabwe’s Innings: Anchored by Ndhlovu, Lifted by Mayers
Earlier, India won the toss and chose to field, and the bowlers backed the call. Kranti Gaud struck in the first over, trapping Beloved Biza lbw for a duck. Kelis Ndhlovu then held the innings together with a composed 42 off 44 balls, adding 53 for the second wicket with Modester Mupachikwa (16) before Shree Charani broke through with a return catch. Ndhlovu eventually fell to Arundhati Reddy for 42, and Sharne Mayers gave Zimbabwe something to defend with an unbeaten 43 off 33 balls, including four fours and two sixes. Nandani Sharma (2/11 from four overs) was India’s standout bowler, removing Nyasha Gwanzura and Michelle Mavunga – both stumped by Richa Ghosh – in the final over as Zimbabwe closed on 114/5.
Full Scorecard
Match result: India Women won by 4 wickets (with 26 balls remaining). Toss: India Women won the toss and elected to field. Player of the Match: Deepti Sharma (49 off 37). Umpires: Anna Harris (Eng), Vrinda Rathi (Ind). Niki Prasad made her T20I debut.
Zimbabwe Women 114/5 (20 overs)
Batting
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelis Ndhlovu | b Reddy | 42 | 44 | 7 | 0 | 95.45 |
| Beloved Biza | lbw b Gaud | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Modester Mupachikwa | c and b Shree Charani | 16 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 61.53 |
| Sharne Mayers | not out | 43 | 33 | 4 | 2 | 130.30 |
| Nyasha Gwanzura | st Richa Ghosh b Nandani Sharma | 9 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 81.81 |
| Michelle Mavunga | st Richa Ghosh b Nandani Sharma | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano | not out | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
Extras: 3 (lb 1, w 2). Total: 114/5 (20 overs, RR 5.70). Did not bat: Josephine Nkomo (c), Francisca Chipare, Tendai Makusha, Olinder Chare. Fall of wickets: 1-7 (Biza, 0.6 ov), 2-60 (Mupachikwa, 10.2 ov), 3-82 (Ndhlovu, 14.6 ov), 4-113 (Gwanzura, 19.4 ov), 5-113 (Mavunga, 19.5 ov).
Bowling
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kranti Gaud | 2 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 8.00 |
| Nandani Sharma | 4 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 2.75 |
| Shafali Verma | 3 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 6.66 |
| Deepti Sharma | 4 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 5.50 |
| Arundhati Reddy | 3 | 0 | 30 | 1 | 10.00 |
| Shree Charani | 4 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 3.50 |
India Women 116/6 (15.4 overs) – Target 115
Batting
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smriti Mandhana (c) | c Makusha b Gwanzura | 9 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 150.00 |
| Shafali Verma | c and b Gwanzura | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 200.00 |
| Anushka Sharma | c Ndhlovu b Gwanzura | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 133.33 |
| Harmanpreet Kaur | c Gwanzura b Mavunga | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
| Niki Prasad | not out | 39 | 35 | 6 | 0 | 111.42 |
| Deepti Sharma | c Mayers b Chare | 49 | 37 | 8 | 0 | 132.43 |
| Richa Ghosh (wk) | c Gwanzura b Biza | 7 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 140.00 |
| Arundhati Reddy | not out | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
Extras: 1 (w 1). Total: 116/6 (15.4 overs, RR 7.40). Did not bat: Shree Charani, Nandani Sharma, Kranti Gaud. Fall of wickets: 1-14 (Mandhana, 1.1 ov), 2-18 (Anushka, 1.4 ov), 3-19 (Harmanpreet, 2.2 ov), 4-19 (Shafali, 3.1 ov), 5-101 (Deepti, 13.4 ov), 6-110 (Richa, 14.5 ov).
Bowling
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tendai Makusha | 1.4 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 11.40 |
| Nyasha Gwanzura | 3 | 0 | 18 | 3 | 6.00 |
| Michelle Mavunga | 3 | 1 | 19 | 1 | 6.33 |
| Francisca Chipare | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10.00 |
| Olinder Chare | 3 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 7.66 |
| Beloved Biza | 4 | 0 | 27 | 1 | 6.75 |
Full scorecard source: ESPNcricinfo.
Key Performances
- Deepti Sharma – 49 off 37 balls (8 fours), Player of the Match; the innings that rescued India.
- Niki Prasad – unbeaten 39 off 35 on T20I debut, hit the winning boundary.
- Nyasha Gwanzura – 3/18 in 3 overs, tore through India’s top order.
- Sharne Mayers – unbeaten 43 off 33 (4 fours, 2 sixes), kept Zimbabwe in the game.
- Nandani Sharma – 2/11 in 4 overs, India’s most economical bowler.
FAQs
Who won the India Women vs Zimbabwe Women 1st T20I?
India Women won by 4 wickets, chasing 115 in 15.4 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Who was the Player of the Match?
Deepti Sharma, for her match-winning 49 off 37 balls that rescued India from 19/4.
How did Niki Prasad perform on her debut?
Superbly – the debutant scored an unbeaten 39 off 35 balls and hit the winning boundary to seal the chase.
What is historic about this series?
It is the first-ever bilateral series between India Women and Zimbabwe Women, and the first women’s T20I played at Raipur’s Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium. It is also Smriti Mandhana’s first series as India’s full-time captain.
When is the 2nd T20I?
The 2nd T20I is on October 18, 2026, again at Raipur, starting 7:00 PM IST.
Conclusion
India Women will take the win and the 1-0 lead, but Zimbabwe Women will take plenty of heart from pushing the hosts hard. For India, the top-order collapse is a concern Smriti Mandhana will want fixed before the 2nd T20I; for Zimbabwe, Nyasha Gwanzura’s new-ball burst showed they can trouble big teams. Raipur hosts the next chapter on October 18.
Source: ESPNcricinfo
