At the other end was Niki Prasad, making her India T20I debut, and it was their 82-run stand that took India home on Smriti Mandhana’s captaincy debut.

Niki absorbed the pressure first. She got off the mark from the fifth ball she faced, but once she settled in, the boundaries followed. Two fours in the sixth over got her moving, and she continued to pick off the loose balls.

That allowed Deepti to take her time. She was watchful early, then began opening up as the partnership grew. She hit a couple of boundaries in the fifth over, then found more in the ninth and 11th, steadily taking control of the chase.

Deepti’s experience gave Niki the time to settle, while Niki’s ability to keep the scoreboard moving allowed Deepti to play herself in before taking charge. They didn’t try to do too much. They just kept chipping away at the target without taking unnecessary risks.

The partnership had grown to 82 when Deepti fell for 49 off 37, but Niki stayed unbeaten till the end, scoring the winning runs with a boundary and giving India a 1-0 lead.

Earlier, India’s bowlers kept Zimbabwe in check for much of the innings, but two contrasting knocks from Kelis Ndhlovu and Sharne Mayers helped the visitors post 114/5.

Ndhlovu anchored Zimbabwe’s innings with a patient 42 off 44 balls, hitting six fours. The 20-year-old left-hander has already overcome a serious setback this year after being struck by a bouncer in New Zealand and hospitalised. She held Zimbabwe’s innings together in the middle overs before Arundhati Reddy dismissed her with a slower ball that beat her swipe and hit the off stump.

Mayers provided the late acceleration, scoring an unbeaten 43 off 33 balls with three fours and a six. She initially struggled to find momentum but shifted gears after the 13th over, launching Shafali Verma over long-on for the game’s first six before taking consecutive boundaries off Arundhati Reddy. Her attacking strokeplay briefly lifted Zimbabwe.

Nandni Sharma had kept things tight for most of her spell before returning for the final over. She struck twice in consecutive deliveries, dismissing Nyasha Gwanzura and Michelle Mavunga. Her three earlier overs had cost just eight runs, and she finished with 2/11. Her final over ensured India had only 115 to chase and set up the dramatic fightback that followed.

Brief Scores:

Zimbabwe 114/5 in 20 overs (Sharne Mayers 43 not out, Kelis Ndhlovu 42; Nandni Sharma 2/11, Sree Charani 1/14) lost to India 116/6 in 15.4 overs (Deepti Sharma 49, Niki Prasad 39 not out; Nyasha Gwanzura 3/18) by 4 wickets.