Niki Prasad’s two-ball burst and Shafali’s 55 seal India’s T20 series over Zimbabwe

India’s women wrapped up their Twenty20 series against Zimbabwe with a game to spare on Sunday, 18 October, overhauling a target of 103 inside nine overs to win the second match in Raipur by nine wickets, a game in which off-spinner Niki Prasad struck with her first two balls in T20 internationals.

Opener Shafali Verma hit 55 and captain Smriti Mandhana finished unbeaten on 47 as India reached 104 for one in 8.5 overs at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium. The pair batted Zimbabwe out of the contest almost from the first over, and Shafali was dismissed only when the hosts were a handful of runs from home.

The win gives India an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. They had taken the opener at the same ground on Friday, 16 October, by four wickets.

Two balls, two wickets

Batting first, Zimbabwe could manage only 102 for eight from their 20 overs. Veteran Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano was their most productive batter with 34, but the innings never found momentum against a tidy Indian attack.

The standout spell came from 20-year-old Niki Prasad. Brought on by Mandhana late in the innings, the off-spinner struck with the very first ball she had bowled in T20 internationals and then removed another batter with the next delivery. She finished with two for seven from two overs.

That makes her only the third player in T20 internationals to take wickets with each of her first two balls. Prasad, who led India to the Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup title in 2025, was playing just her second senior international; she made her debut in the 16 October opener, where she steadied a wobbling chase with an unbeaten 39.

A sleepless night

For Shafali, the half-century was a quick answer to a soft dismissal in the series opener. Speaking after the match, she said the way she had got out in the opener on 16 October, and in particular her own body language, had kept her awake that night. She said she had studied video of her batting and worked on getting lower and watching the ball more closely on a slow, low surface.

Shafali, who is vice-captain for the T20 leg of the tour, dedicated the series win to the younger players in the squad and said she was enjoying the added responsibility.

A winning start for Mandhana

The series is Mandhana’s first in charge as India’s full-time captain, and she has now won both her matches in the role. With the result settled, the third and final T20I is in Raipur on Tuesday, 20 October.

The two teams then move to Vadodara for a three-match one-day international series.

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