Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana Lead India Women to Series Win Over Zimbabwe

India Women beat Zimbabwe Women by nine wickets in the second T20I in Raipur on Sunday, October 18. The win gave India an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. It is also Smriti Mandhana's first series win as full-time captain. The third and final T20I is on Tuesday, October 20.

Zimbabwe won the toss and chose to bat. The Raipur pitch was grippy and slow. India's bowlers struck regularly and reduced Zimbabwe to 30 for 3 in the 8th over. Zimbabwe finished on 102 for 8. Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano top-scored with 34. Captain Josephine Nkomo made 27. Debutant Niki Prasad took 2 for 7. Deepti Sharma took 1 for 13. Mandhana said after the game that the bowling unit really came together.

The chase was over in a flash. Shafali Verma hit 55 off 25 balls. Mandhana stayed not out on 47 off 25 balls, with six fours and two sixes. They put on a 96-run opening stand. India reached 50 in just 4.3 overs. Mandhana hit Nyasha Gwanzura for five boundaries in the fifth over. Beloved Biza finally got Shafali out, and Mandhana finished the match with a six in the ninth over. India won in 8.5 overs, with 67 balls to spare. It is the biggest win in terms of balls left in a chase of 100 or more in women's T20Is.

Shafali also added to her record year. She has scored 922 runs in 26 innings in the calendar year, the most ever in women's T20Is. Her average is 38.41 and her strike rate is above 165. She has one century and eight fifties. She has now passed Mandhana for the most 50-plus scores by a batter in a calendar year in women's T20Is. She has nine, and Mandhana has eight.

India had won the first T20I by four wickets on Friday, after recovering from 19 for 4. Mandhana had scored only 9 in that game. This time, she stayed till the end. India will now look for a clean sweep in the third T20I.