Indian Women’s Cricket Team Sets Record with Rapid Victory Over Zimbabwe
The Indian womens cricket team achieved a historic win against Zimbabwe, chasing down 103 runs in just 8.5 overs.
Raipur, October 18 (Daily Kiran) : The Indian women’s cricket team made headlines on October 18, 2026, with a stunning performance against Zimbabwe at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur. The team secured a victory by 9 wickets, successfully chasing down a target of 103 runs in just 8.5 overs. This remarkable feat also set a new record for the highest number of balls remaining when successfully chasing a target of over 100 runs in women’s T20 international cricket.
In comparison, the West Indies previously held the second spot on this list, having chased down 107 runs against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2026, with 65 balls to spare. England also made headlines in 2024 by chasing down 110 runs against Scotland, finishing their innings with 60 balls remaining.
Zimbabwe struggled during their innings, managing only 102 runs while losing 8 wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano was the standout performer for Zimbabwe, scoring 34 runs, while Josephine Nkomo contributed with an unbeaten 27 runs. On the bowling front, Nikki Prasad was exceptional for India, taking 2 wickets for just 7 runs in her 2 overs.
In response, openers Shefali Verma and captain Smriti Mandhana gave India a blazing start, putting together a partnership of 96 runs in just 7.5 overs. Shefali scored 55 runs off 25 balls, hitting 4 sixes and 6 fours, before being dismissed. Mandhana, on the other hand, remained not out on 47 runs, having faced 25 balls with 8 boundaries.
With this innings, Shefali Verma became the leading run-scorer for the most 50+ scores in a calendar year, achieving her 9th fifty-plus score of 2026. Smriti Mandhana follows closely behind, having reached this milestone 8 times in 2024. Mithali Raj had achieved it 7 times in 2018, and Natasha Miles from Hong Kong has also accomplished this feat 7 times in 2026.
Shefali is currently the top run-scorer in women’s T20 cricket for the calendar year, amassing a total of 922 runs so far. South Africa‘s Laura Wolvaardt has scored 824 runs, while Indian captain Smriti Mandhana has accumulated 821 runs. Natasha Miles from Hong Kong has also crossed the 800-run mark this year.
