INDW vs ZIMW, 1st T20I: Ice-cold Niki impresses on debut as India survive Zimbabwe scare

Results in brief: India (116/6 in 15.4 ovs) beat Zimbabwe (114/5) by 4 wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series.

The Smriti Mandhana era began with a scare as debutant Niki Prasad and Deepti Sharma rescued India from a dramatic top-order collapse to seal a four-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the first T20I in Raipur on Friday. Chasing 115, India recovered from 22 for 4 to reach the target with 4.2 overs to go and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Zimbabwe, who have lost all 18 of their T20Is this year, came close to pulling off an upset after their bowlers tore through India’s top order. Mandhana started her first match as India’s full-time T20I captain with a couple of boundaries, but her dismissal caused a collapse that left the hosts in trouble.

India vs Zimbabwe 1st Women’s T20I: MAIN | SCORECARD

Nyasha Gwanzura did most of the damage as she dismissed Mandhan, Anushka Sharma and Shafali Verma with her off-spin. Michelle Mavunga removed Harmanpreet Kaur to leave India four wickets in the over. All four batsmen fell in the first 19 deliveries, giving Zimbabwe a real chance of a memorable victory.

However, Deepti and Niki kept India in the contest. Deepti struck with eight boundaries in her 49 off 37 balls while Niki showed remarkable composure on his debut. Their 82-run stand off 63 deliveries for the fifth wicket changed the course of the chase.

Deepti fell just one run short of her half-century but Niki remained unbeaten on 39 off 35 balls to reach the winning boundary in the 16th over. Gwanzura finished with figures of 3 for 18 but Zimbabwe could not find a way past the pair.

NIKI SEPTEMBER FOR DEBUT

Niki said she was prepared for the situation and knew her job was to lead India across the finish line when she walked out to bat. “I think I was well prepared. I knew that when I was going to play, I just had to win the match, and I did,” she said.

The debutant explained that she and Deepti focused on building a partnership before deciding when to take risks against Zimbabwe’s bowlers. “We talked about building a partnership. Once we got that partnership, we started deciding which bowler to attack and where to take chances.”

“Keep calm and play on merit.” Niki also spoke about the conditions in Raipur where the dew helps the ball travel faster even as the pitch has started to slow down and offer less bounce.

“There was definitely a lot of dew because of it, the ball was flying fast. Also the wicket started to slow down and it started to stay low. But we adapted well. Me and Deepti di adapted well to the conditions.”

“I think I’m really happy to come through the game and build a partnership with Deepti di. It’s just the beginning. I want to keep playing the same way and win many more matches for India.”

She credited Deepti’s aggressive approach for giving her the confidence to play her own shots. “She pitched great. The way she attacked the pitchers. She didn’t let the pitchers get to her. Looking back, I had a lot of confidence to play my shots as well.”

Niki’s unbeaten 39 is the third highest individual score by an Indian woman on T20I debut. Rumeli Dhar tops the list with an unbeaten 66 against England in Derby in 2006, while Amanjot Kaur scored 41 against South Africa at KuGumpo City in 2023. Mandhana made 39 against Bangladesh in Vadodara in 2013, while Jemimah Rodrigues scored 37 against South Africa in 2018.

The partnership was also a record for India in women’s T20Is. Niki and Deepti’s 82-run stand is India’s highest for a fifth wicket or lower, beating the previous best of 77 between Mithali Raj and Anuja Patil against Sri Lanka in Ranchi in 2016. The first two partnerships on this list came in successful chases.

Among full teams, their stand is the second-highest fifth-wicket partnership in a women’s T20I after losing four wickets in less than 20 runs. New Zealanders Sophie Devine and Maddy Green hold the record with 159 against England in Canterbury in 2026. Other contenders on the list are Deandra Dottin and Stacy-Ann King’s 72 for West Indies against South Africa in Durban in 2016, Amy Jones and Heather Knight’s 67 for England against Br20 Pakistan in Edtba 64 Danni Wyatt-Hodge against Australia in North Sydney in 2017.

MAYERS RAISES ZIMBABWE

Earlier, Zimbabwe got off to a promising start after being asked to bat first and reached 60 for 1 at the halfway mark. Kelis Ndhlovu anchored the innings with a composed 42 off 44 balls before India tightened their grip through the middle overs.

The visitors slowed down Zimbabwe’s progress before Sharne Mayers pushed on late in the innings. Mayers remained unbeaten on 43 off 33 balls to take Zimbabwe to 114 for 5.

World number one N Shree Charani returned figures of 1 for 14 while Nandani Sharma took two wickets in the final to finish with 2 for 11.

The Zimbabwean bowlers then gave their side a chance to defend the whole. Gwanzura cracked for three wickets and Mavung’s dismissal of Harmanpreet left India struggling at 22 for 4, but Deepti and Niki denied the visitors a breakthrough that could have changed the result.

Zimbabwe will rue their missed opportunities. After putting India’s top order under pressure, another 20 or 25 runs could have made the chase much more difficult. Instead, Niki held her nerve on debut to seal India’s victory and give Mandhana a winning start as full-time T20I captain.

– The end