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Smriti Mandhana begins captaincy with win as India defeats Zimbabwe by four wickets
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News18•16-10-2026, 22:44
Smriti Mandhana begins captaincy with win as India defeats Zimbabwe by four wickets
- •The Indian women cricket team defeated Zimbabwe by four wickets in the first T20 International to take a 1-0 series lead.
- •Smriti Mandhana officially began her captaincy tenure in this match, overcoming early batting troubles.
- •Zimbabwe scored 115 for 5 in 20 overs, with Kelis Ndhlovu scoring 42 and Sharne Mayers adding an unbeaten 43.
- •India slipped to 19 for 4 after early wickets fell to Nyasha Gwanzura and Mitchell Mavunga.
- •Deepti Sharma and debutant Niki Prasad forged a record 82-run fifth-wicket partnership to steer India to victory.
Key Questions Answered
The Indian women's cricket team defeated Zimbabwe by four wickets in the first T20 International to take a 1-0 series lead, marking the official start of Smriti Mandhana's captaincy tenure and overcoming an early slump of four wickets down for just 19 runs.
Experienced all-rounder Deepti Sharma and debutant Niki Prasad staged a brilliant rescue by putting together an unbeaten 82-run partnership for the fifth wicket, with Deepti scoring 49 and Niki guiding the team home with 39 runs not out.
Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad set a new record for India's highest-ever partnership for the fifth wicket in women's T20 international cricket, surpassing the previous record of 77 runs previously held by Mithali Raj and Anuja Patil.
