Rawal's Unbeaten 100 and Charani's 4/23 Give India Women 9-Wicket Win Over Zimbabwe

India Women beat Zimbabwe Women by 9 wickets in the first ODI at BCA Stadium in Vadodara on Friday, October 23. They chased down 198 in just 27.1 overs and finished on 200 for 1. India lead the three-match series 1-0. Pratika Rawal was named Player of the Match for her unbeaten 100 off 96 balls.

India chose to bowl first, and the bowlers set up the win. Zimbabwe were bowled out for 197 in 49.5 overs. Left-arm spinner Shree Charani took career-best figures of 4 for 23 from her 10 overs. Kranti Gaud took 3 wickets and Deepti Sharma took 2. Shafali Verma also chipped in with a wicket.

The chase was never in doubt. Rawal opened the batting and played with calm control. She hit 15 fours in her hundred and reached the mark with a boundary. Shafali Verma came in at number three and attacked from the start. She remained not out on 64 off 33 balls, with 5 fours and 4 sixes. She also hit the winning runs.

Rawal and Shafali added an unbeaten 106 runs in 70 balls for the second wicket. That stand took the game away from Zimbabwe. India reached the target with 22.5 overs still to spare.

Captain Smriti Mandhana singled out Charani as the standout bowler of the day. She said the bowlers adapted well to a new ground. She also praised Shafali and Rawal for the way they batted in the chase. Mandhana did add that India could have shown more intensity in the field between overs 20 and 35, and a few catches went down.

Rawal said she was happy to contribute to the team's win. She also said the ball was going where she wanted, and that gave her confidence.

Zimbabwe captain Nomvelo Sibanda admitted her side did not play as well as they wanted. She said the bowlers failed to hit a good length consistently, and some fielding chances were not taken. Zimbabwe also lost the preceding T20I series 3-0, and they are still looking for their first win of the tour.

The ODI leg is part of the ICC Women's Championship 2025-29. The second ODI is on Sunday, October 25, at the same venue in Vadodara.