Captain Smriti Mandhana secures 1st series win as India thrash Zimbabwe in 2nd T20I
If there was a fitting way that the 2nd T20I between India and Zimbabwe should have come to a close then it was with captain Smriti Mandhana hitting the winning runs. And she obliged by hoisting Olinder Chare’s delivery out of the park to seal a nine-wicket win in Raipur.
The victory also meant the Smriti Mandhana era in Indian women’s cricket started with a series win as the hosts took an unassailable 2-0 lead. Unlike the first match of the series, there were no jitters or nervy moments. It was just pure hitting from vice-captain Shafali Verma and skipper Mandhana as they destroyed the Zimbabwean bowling in the powerplay, scoring 76 runs in the first six overs while chasing 103 runs.
Shafali scored a brilliant 55 off 25 balls and by the time she was dismissed, India needed just seven runs. Mandhana, who remained unbeaten on 47 off 25 balls, got the team over the line.
The win was set up by the bowlers early on as they choked the Zimbabwean batters and didn’t allow them to get away. The spinners, including the impressive Niki Prasad, stepped up to ensure that the visitors only scored 102 runs in their 20 overs for the loss of 8 wickets.
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