One ball into the chase, Shafali Verma had already made her intentions clear. By the time Zimbabwe’s bowlers found any rhythm, India Women were 76 for none after six overs and the second T20I in Raipur was, for all practical purposes, done. India finished the job in 8.5 overs, losing a single wicket on the way to a nine-wicket win that sealed the three-match series 2-0 with a game still to play.
Verma made 55 off 25 balls, laced with six fours and four sixes, and walked away with the Player of the Match award. Captain Smriti Mandhana, who had struggled with the bat in the first T20I, made up for it with an unbeaten 47 off 25 deliveries. The pair put on 96 for the first wicket before Verma fell, and Mandhana completed the formalities alongside Anushka Sharma, who finished one not out.
A chase that never slowed down
Zimbabwe set India a modest target of 103 after managing 102 for 8 in their 20 overs. It never looked like enough, and the openers made sure of it quickly.
Verma announced herself by driving the very first ball of the innings to the boundary and cleared the rope later in the opening over. She kept swinging through the powerplay, and when Mandhana decided to join in, the chase turned into a procession. In the third over, Mandhana hit two fours off Nyasha Gwanjura. The next over from the same bowler went for 21 runs, four of them boundaries in a row, and by the six-over mark India had raced to 76 without loss.
Verma brought up her half-century off 24 balls, her 22nd fifty in T20 internationals, and fell immediately after, caught Makusha off Precious Bija with the score on 96. Mandhana, six fours and two sixes to her name by then, knocked off the remaining runs with Anushka Sharma for company.
Zimbabwe’s innings never found its feet
Earlier, Zimbabwe captain Josephine Nkomo won the toss and chose to bat, saying her side wanted to build on a good start from the first match and turn singles into doubles. The plan never took shape.
India’s bowlers kept things tight from the outset. Nandani Sharma struck in the very first over to remove opener Kelis Ndhlovu for a duck, and had Bija caught by Harmanpreet Kaur for 7 in the seventh over, by which point Zimbabwe had crawled to 20. Shearne Mayers made 9 before Kranti Gaud ended her stay.
Only two Zimbabwe batters reached double figures. Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano top-scored with 34 off 32 balls, hitting five fours, while Nkomo herself finished 27 not out off 35 deliveries. Their partnership offered some resistance, but neither could lift the scoring rate, and the innings stalled badly at the death: the last five overs yielded just 26 runs and three wickets.
Niki Prasad leads a disciplined bowling effort
Leg-spinner Niki Prasad was the pick of the attack with 2 for 7 from two overs, removing Mugeri-Tiripano and Gwanjura in the 15th over to break the back of the innings. Sree Charani (1 for 21), Nandani Sharma (1 for 17), Deepti Sharma (1 for 13) and Kranti Gaud (1 for 15) chipped in with a wicket each, while Arundhati Reddy went wicketless but conceded only 17 in her three overs.
Zimbabwe’s innings closed on 102 for 8, with the wickets falling at regular intervals: 1-10, 2-20, 3-30, 4-75, 5-75, 6-94, 7-99 and finally 8-102.
Records tumble along the way
The win carried more weight than the margin suggests. According to TV9 Telugu’s match coverage, Verma’s knock took her to 922 T20 international runs in 2026, the most by any batter in a calendar year, while India registered their tenth consecutive T20I victory. One match, in other words, added rare entries to the record books for Verma, Mandhana and the team in the same evening.
There was also a personal milestone for the captain. Mandhana took over the India Women’s captaincy from Harmanpreet Kaur recently, and this series is her first at the helm. Winning it with a match to spare is about as clean a start as she could have asked for.
From a scare in the first T20I to total control
The contrast with the series opener could hardly be sharper. In the first T20I, Zimbabwe posted 114 for 5, with Ndhlovu making 42 and Mayers an unbeaten 43, and India’s chase nearly came off the rails at 19 for 4. It took an unbroken stand of 82 between Deepti Sharma, who made 49, and Niki Prasad, 39 not out, to drag India to a four-wicket win chasing 115.
That wobble made Sunday’s performance all the more emphatic. The same bowling unit that had squeezed Zimbabwe in the opener did it again, and this time the top order made sure there was no drama attached to the chase. Harmanpreet Kaur was named in the playing XI but did not bat as the openers made short work of the target.
What happens in the third T20I
The third and final match of the series will be played in Raipur on Tuesday, giving the hosts a chance to complete a 3-0 sweep on the same ground where the series was decided. For Zimbabwe, the task is simpler and sterner in equal measure: find a way past an Indian side that has now beaten them twice in four days without ever looking seriously troubled.
Verma’s form is the headline, but the deeper story for India is the balance across the eleven. Prasad’s economy rate of 3.5 an over, Deepti’s all-round contributions, and an opening pair that can flip a chase into a formality inside six overs give Mandhana’s side options that Zimbabwe, for now, cannot match.
FAQ
Who won the second T20I between India Women and Zimbabwe Women?
India Women won the second T20I in Raipur by nine wickets, chasing Zimbabwe’s 102 for 8 in just 8.5 overs to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
How did Shafali Verma perform in the second T20I?
Shafali Verma scored 55 off 25 balls with six fours and four sixes, reached her fifty in 24 deliveries, won the Player of the Match award, and recorded her 22nd T20I half-century.
What records were set in the India vs Zimbabwe Women 2nd T20I?
Per TV9 Telugu’s coverage, Shafali Verma reached 922 T20I runs in 2026, the most by a batter in a calendar year, and India registered their tenth consecutive T20I win.
When and where is the third India Women vs Zimbabwe Women T20I?
The third and final T20I will be played in Raipur on Tuesday, with India leading the series 2-0.