Captain Smriti Mandhana secures 1st series win as India beat Zimbabwe in 2nd T20I

If there was a fitting way for the 2nd T20I between India and Zimbabwe to end, it was skipper Smriti Mandhana hitting the winning runs. And she obliged by taking Olinder Chare’s delivery out of the park to seal a nine-wicket victory in Raipur.

Captain Smriti Mandhana finished it off in #TeamIndia style with a clinical 9-wicket win to seal the series 2-0 #INDvZIM | @mflone_ BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) October 18, 2026

The win also marked the start of the Smriti Mandhana era in Indian women’s cricket with a series win as the hosts took an unassailable 2-0 lead. Unlike the first game of the series, there were no jitters or nervous moments. It was only clean hitting from vice-captain Shafali Verma and skipper Mandhana as they destroyed the Zimbabwe bowling in a powerplay, scoring 76 runs in the first six overs while chasing 103 runs.

Shafali scored a brilliant 55 off 25 balls and India needed just seven runs by the time she was dismissed. Mandhana, who remained unbeaten on 47 off 25 balls, got the team over the line.

The bowlers took care of the victory early on as they suffocated the Zimbabwean batsmen and did not allow them to escape. The spinners, including the impressive Niki Prasad, stepped up to ensure the visitors scored just 102 runs in their 20 overs for the loss of 8 wickets.

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