India women beat Zimbabwe by 4 wickets in Raipur T20 after losing four early wickets

The first of a three-match series was played at the Veer Shaheed Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur. In a close contest, the Indian women's team recovered from early setbacks to beat Zimbabwe by 4 wickets.

Zimbabwe batted first and set India a target of 115. The innings was built around Kelis Ndhlovu's 42 and an unbeaten 43 from Sharne Mayers. In reply, India lost four big wickets early on, paying for their overconfidence. Deepti Sharma and Nikki Prasad then batted with care to see the team home.

India play all the T20s of the series at this stadium in Raipur. The Indian women's team is playing an international match here for the first time, and faced several difficulties in the opening game. Smriti Mandhana won the toss and chose to field, but Zimbabwe played the full 20 overs and put the Indian bowlers under pressure.

India's fielding also looked weak, and Ndhlovu and Mayers made full use of it. Zimbabwe lost their first wicket in the first over, but India had to wait until the 10th over for the second. In between, Ndhlovu and Modester Mupachikwa (16) added 53 for the second wicket.

Mayers, who came in at number four, supported Ndhlovu well and tried to lift the run rate. Arundhati Reddy then broke the partnership by bowling Ndhlovu, who made 42 with 6 fours. At the other end, Zimbabwe's middle order could not support Mayers. She kept sending loose balls over the boundary and stayed to the last ball, finishing unbeaten on 43 with 4 fours and 2 sixes. Nandini Sharma took 2 wickets for 11 runs for India.

Given Zimbabwe's 115, India's top-order batters perhaps thought they would score quickly and return to the pavilion. That overconfidence proved costly. The team's new captain Smriti Mandhana fell to a Zimbabwe bowler in the second over after scoring 9 with 2 fours. In the same over, Anushka Sharma, who came in at number three, gave an easy catch and returned for 4 with 1 four.

Nyasha Gwanzura removed the key batters of India's top order. Former captain Harmanpreet Kaur was then caught off Michelle Mavunga's bowling for just 1 run. All hopes now rested on ICC Player of the Month Shafali Verma (4), but Nyasha took a fine catch off her own bowling. It was her third wicket of the innings. India were 19 for 4.

With the top order gone, the pressure fell on the middle order. Even so, Nikki Prasad and all-rounder Deepti Sharma added 82 and steadied the innings. Deepti made 49 with 8 fours, while Nikki supported her well with an unbeaten 39 that included 6 fours. Zimbabwe's bowling in this match deserves praise.