Debutant Niki Prasad took wickets with her first two balls in international cricket, a first for an Indian player, as India Women beat Zimbabwe Women by nine wickets in the second T20I in Raipur on Sunday, 18 October 2026. The 21-year-old off-spinner is the first Indian to achieve the feat. The result gave India an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Prasad, a right-arm off-spinner, came on in the 15th over. Her first ball had Chipo Mugeri‑Tiripano caught behind for 34 off 32, and her next trapped Nyasha Gwanzura lbw for a golden duck. She did not complete a hat‑trick and finished with 2/7 from two overs. Those two wickets left Zimbabwe on 75/5 at that stage of their innings.
Zimbabwe won the toss, batted first and made 102/8 in 20 overs. Josephine Nkomo remained not out on 27. Kranti Gaud took 1 wicket for 15 runs in her four overs, Nandani Sharma bowled Kelis Ndhlovu for a duck, and Deepti Sharma dismissed Beloved Biza for 7. Zimbabwe's innings therefore set India a target of 103 to win the match.
India chased 103 and reached 104/1 in 8.5 overs, finishing with 67 balls left. Shafali Verma made 55 off 25 balls, with six fours and four sixes, while captain Smriti Mandhana was unbeaten on 47 off 25. The opening stand was worth 96, and India scored 76/0 in the powerplay. Beloved Biza took the only wicket to fall, finishing with 1/9.
Prasad had made her debut in the first T20I on Friday. She did not bowl, but scored an unbeaten 39 off 35 with six fours. India chased 115 in that match after slipping to 19/4, and Prasad and Deepti Sharma (49) added 82 for the fifth wicket. India won by four wickets, reaching 116/6 in 15.4 overs.
Delhi Capitals signed Prasad for INR 10 lakhs before WPL 2025 and retained her the following season. Her overall T20 record is 653 runs at an average of 28.39, plus 11 wickets at an economy of 6.81. For India A against Australia A, she scored 76 and took four wickets in an ODI, and in the unofficial Test she made 91 in the first innings and took 7/77 across the match, including a five‑for.
The series is the first with Smriti Mandhana as full‑time India captain, after Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down from the role across formats. The first‑ever women's T20I in Raipur was played on Friday. The two sides are meeting for the first time in a women's international, and both matches so far have been played in Raipur, where the third T20I will also be held.
The third and final T20I is in Raipur on Tuesday, 20 October, at 7:00 pm IST, as confirmed by the BCCI. The ODI series then begins in Vadodara, with the first ODI scheduled for 23 October at 1:30 am local time. India already hold the 2‑0 lead, so the final T20I will complete the series.
