With its batting unit back in rhythm, the Indian women’s cricket team will aim to extend its winning streak and complete a 3-0 sweep against Zimbabwe in the final T20I in Raipur on Tuesday. The match starts at 7 PM IST at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium.
India sealed the series in emphatic fashion on Sunday, chasing down 103 in just 8.5 overs for a nine-wicket win. Shafali Verma’s blistering 55 off 25 balls and captain Smriti Mandhana’s unbeaten 47 off 25 powered the 96-run opening stand, after debutant Niki Prasad’s stunning 2 for 7 – including wickets with her first two balls in international cricket – had restricted Zimbabwe to 102 for 8.
The 20-year-old Niki Prasad has been the find of the series, following her unbeaten 39 on debut in the first T20I – when India recovered from 19 for 4 to chase 115 – with the match-winning spell in the second. Her all-round emergence gives Mandhana, in her first series as full-time captain, a welcome new option.
Zimbabwe, touring India for the first time, will be desperate for a consolation win after their batting faltered twice. They showed fight in the opener through Nyasha Gwanzura’s triple-wicket burst, but their batters have managed only 114 for 5 and 102 for 8 across the two games. Captain Josephine Nkomo will need her top order to fire if the visitors are to avoid a whitewash.
