Shafali and Mandhana Chase 103 in 8.5 Overs as India Seal T20I Series Against Zimbabwe

India's women wrapped up the T20I series against Zimbabwe with a game to spare on Sunday night, chasing down 103 in only 8.5 overs at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur. The nine-wicket win, completed with 67 balls left, gives India an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series and was a sharp correction after a shaky batting effort in the opener two days earlier.

A chase that was over almost before it began

Openers Shafali Verma and captain Smriti Mandhana put on 96 for the first wicket, bringing up the team fifty inside 4.3 overs. Mandhana set the tone by hitting Nyasha Gwanzura for five boundaries in a single over, and Shafali followed by taking two fours and a six off Michelle Mavunga in the next.

Shafali reached her half-century in 24 balls and was eventually bowled by Beloved Biza for 55 off 25 deliveries, with six fours and four sixes. Mandhana stayed unbeaten on 47 off 25 balls and ended the match with a six. The margin of 67 balls to spare is the largest for any successful chase of a 100-plus target in women's T20 internationals.

Zimbabwe squeezed by spin and seam

Zimbabwe won the toss and batted, but India's bowlers gave them little room. The visitors had faced 36 dot balls inside the first eight overs and slumped to 30 for 3 by the ninth over. Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano (34 off 32) and captain Josephine Nkomo (27 not out off 35) added 45 for the fourth wicket to steady things, but Zimbabwe could only reach 102 for 8 in their 20 overs.

Niki Prasad, who made a match-winning debut in the first game, was the most economical bowler with 2 for 7 from two overs. Kranti Gaud took 1 for 15 from four overs and Deepti Sharma 1 for 13 from three, while Shree Charani and Nandani Sharma claimed a wicket each. Charani has now taken at least one wicket in 15 consecutive T20I appearances. India were not perfect in the field, though: a couple of dropped chances helped Zimbabwe get past 100, something the team management will want tightened before tougher opposition.

Records for a pair at their peak

The bigger story is what this partnership has done across 2026. The 96-run stand was Mandhana and Shafali's ninth stand of 50 or more this year, the most by any pair in a calendar year in women's T20Is. They have also become the first pair to put on more than 1,000 runs together in a single calendar year in the format.

Shafali, who already holds the record for most women's T20I runs in a calendar year, has now made 922 runs in 26 innings in 2026, averaging just over 38 at a strike rate above 165. Her ninth score of 50 or more this year takes her past Mandhana's previous calendar-year mark of eight, set in 2024.

The win was also India's 17th T20I victory of 2026 from 26 matches, beating the previous best of 16 wins in 2018.

Why it matters

The first match in Raipur had exposed a fragile top order, when India slipped to early trouble before Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad steered them home (see our earlier coverage). Mandhana said before the toss that the batting unit wanted a more convincing chase, and the openers delivered exactly that.

Results against a lower-ranked side need to be read with care, but the consistency of the opening pair is a real asset as India build towards bigger assignments. The third and final T20I is also in Raipur on Tuesday, giving the selectors a chance to look at bench strength now that the series is secured.

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