Pratika Rawal and Shree Charani secure dominant Indian victory

Dominating their first-ever ODI against Zimbabwe, the Indian women's cricket team had a comfortable nine-wicket victory at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara on Friday. Current world champions India showed no signs of rust, playing only their second series since lifting their maiden World Cup trophy in November 2025. Pratika Rawal led the run chase with a brilliant unbeaten 100 off 96 balls, while N Shree Charani produced a masterful bowling spell to claim her first four-wicket haul.

Indian bowlers stifle the batters

Zimbabwe won the toss and chose to bat first but immediately struggled against a disciplined Indian bowling unit. Opener Loryn Phiri departed early when Kranti Gaud executed a sharp diving catch off her own bowling. Modester Mupachikwa tried to stabilize the innings, scoring 25 off 43 deliveries, but eventually fell to the left-arm spin of Shree Charani. Beloved Biza proved to be the standout performer for the visiting side. She crafted a resilient 62, making history at 17 years and 291 days old as the second-youngest female cricketer behind Sarah Taylor to hit an ODI fifty against India. Michelle Mavunga offered late fireworks with a quick 29 off 23 balls to push the final total to 197. Shree Charani finished with exceptional figures of 4 for 23, while Gaud supported her brilliantly with 3 for 42 to dismiss the opposition. Assam’s Jintimani Kalita also earned her international debut, marking a proud moment as only the second woman from her state to represent India in this format.

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Openers dominated the run chase

Chasing a target of 198, India launched their innings aggressively. Smriti Mandhana, stepping into her role as the full-time ODI captain, shared a fluent 94-run opening partnership with Rawal. They capitalized on wayward bowling during the early overs to set a strong foundation. After Mandhana fell to leg-spin, Shafali Verma walked in at number three and immediately accelerated the scoring. Verma unleashed a flurry of boundaries, racing to an unbeaten 64 off just 33 balls. She dominated the middle overs, notably smashing three huge sixes in a single over that yielded 20 runs. Her incredible strike rate gave Rawal the perfect opportunity to reach her third ODI century, which she achieved by striking consecutive fours in the 27th over. Verma closed out the game in style with a commanding shot over the bowler's head, finishing the contest with a comfortable 22.5 overs remaining.