From 19 for 4, Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad Steered India Women Past Zimbabwe in Raipur

India Women opened their T20I series against Zimbabwe with a four-wicket win in Raipur on Friday night, but only after a scare that briefly had a huge home crowd worried.

Zimbabwe batted first and put together 114 for 5 in their 20 overs. Kelis Ndhlovu anchored the innings with 42 off 44 balls, and Sharne Mayers provided the late acceleration with an unbeaten 43 off 33. For India, Nandani Sharma was the pick of the bowlers with 2 for 11, and Shree Charani, the hero of last month's Asia Cup final, took 1 for 14.

A target of 115 looked straightforward, but Zimbabwe's bowlers struck early and often. India lost four wickets in the first 19 balls of the chase to slip to 19 for 4, with Gwanzura on the way to figures of 3 for 18. That brought Deepti Sharma together with Niki Prasad, and the pair steadied the chase. Deepti struck 49 off 37 balls, and Niki finished unbeaten on 39 off 35 as India got home at 116 for 6 in 15.4 overs, with 26 balls to spare. Deepti was named Player of the Match.

A new era, and a useful test

The match marked the start of India's series under Smriti Mandhana's captaincy, coming weeks after India won a record eighth Women's Asia Cup title in Dubai. A comfortable-looking win that turned into a recovery job is exactly the kind of test a new captain can learn from, and the composure of Deepti and the young Niki Prasad under pressure will please the team.

For Zimbabwe, rarely seen on tour in India, it was a confident start: a competitive total and a bowling attack that had the home side in genuine trouble early. If they can build on it, the rest of the series could be closer than many expected.