India women beat Zimbabwe by nine wickets in Vadodara ODI as Pratika Rawal hits a century

The Indian women's cricket team won the first of three One Day Internationals against Zimbabwe by nine wickets. With the win, India lead the series 1-0. The match was played at the Vadodara International Stadium in Kotambi.

Zimbabwe captain Nomvelo Sibanda won the toss and chose to bat first. However, her side could not post a big total and was bowled out for 197 in 49.5 overs. The Indian bowlers kept the Zimbabwe batters under pressure from the start.

Bilwhead Bizha top-scored for Zimbabwe with 62 off 92 balls. Michelle Mavunga made 29 and Modester Mupachikwa made 25.

Left-arm spinner Sree Charani was the most successful bowler for India. She took 4 wickets for 23 runs, the best bowling figures of her career. Fast bowler Kranti Goud took 3 wickets. Deepti Sharma dismissed two batters with her spin, and Shafali Verma took one wicket.

Chasing a target of 198, the Indian team batted strongly from the outset. Opener Pratika Rawal scored a fine century and stayed at the crease until the end. Her innings sealed the win.

Pratika and captain Smriti Mandhana put on 94 runs for the first wicket. Mandhana was dismissed for 32, but by then the team had a good start.

After Mandhana's dismissal, Shafali Verma came out to bat with Pratika. The two scored quickly and kept the Zimbabwe bowlers under pressure with aggressive batting. Shafali remained not out on 64, and Pratika completed her century to take the team home.

The Indian women's team reached 200 for one wicket in 27.1 overs and won the match by nine wickets.