ZIM-W Vs IND-W Live Score, 2nd T20I: Zimbabwe Women Scrape Past 100 To Set India A Target Of 103

Shree Charani has now taken at least one wicket in each of her last 15 T20I appearances. Among Indian bowlers, only Radha Yadav boasts a longer streak, having picked up wickets in 27 consecutive outings between November 2018 and June 2021.

Zimbabwe Women finish on 102/8 in 20 overs, somehow scraping past the 100-run mark. India will rue the missed chances in the field, as they could have restricted Zimbabwe to well below 100. The target is 103, and India will back themselves to chase it down.

Mupachikwa is run out! A soft nudge towards short fine leg proves costly as Modester Mupachikwa sets off for a single that simply isn't there.

Shree Charani is quick to the ball, and the third umpire takes a close look at multiple replays before ruling the Zimbabwe batter out. Mupachikwa departs for 9 off 11 balls, and Zimbabwe lose another wicket through a costly mix-up.

Zimbabwe find a much-needed boundary! Niki Prasad flights it outside off, and Mupachikwa gets to the pitch of the ball before threading it through the gap towards deep extra cover.

Arundhati Reddy gives chase, but the ball lands in front of her on the practice pitch and races away to the ropes. A welcome four for Zimbabwe as they look to inject some momentum into their innings.

Shree Charani keeps it tight. She bowls a slightly fuller delivery around off, and Josephine Nkomo gently taps it into the off-side with soft hands. No room for a quick single there, and Zimbabwe settle for a dot ball.

A chance goes begging for India! Chipo Mugeri steps out to Shree Charani and looks to loft the ball towards mid-off, but doesn't quite get away with it.

Shafali Verma moves to her left and goes for the catch, only to put it down. Mugeri gets a lifeline, and India will know that chances like these could prove costly if Zimbabwe manage to build a partnership. One run taken.

Zimbabwe lose another wicket! Just after finding the boundary, Mayers falls while trying to take on Kranti Gaud. It's a full delivery in the slot, and Mayers looks to go inside out but gets it off the bottom of the bat.

Deepti Sharma moves to her right and takes a sharp catch to send her packing for 9 off 10 balls, including two fours. Gaud strikes again, and Zimbabwe are in trouble.

Finally, Zimbabwe find the boundary! Mayers puts Arundhati Reddy away for four through deep extra cover, breaking up the sequence of dot balls. Zimbabwe have faced 36 dot balls already in this innings, so they badly need to find ways to keep the scoreboard ticking. A timely boundary for Mayers and her side.

Drama! Deepti Sharma gets Mugeri-Tiripano in trouble with a tossed-up delivery close to the off-stump. The Zimbabwe batter goes for the reverse sweep but misses it completely, and the umpire raises her finger.

Mugeri reviews immediately, though, and UltraEdge shows a flat line, ruling out any contact with the bat.

The third umpire then checks for a possible stumping, but Mugeri has dragged her feet back in time. She survives, and India miss out on a wicket. No run.

A wayward delivery from Nandani Sharma, and Zimbabwe get four leg byes! Sharma sprays it well down the leg side, leaving Richa Ghosh with no chance of getting a glove on it as the ball races away to the boundary. Not the response India wanted immediately after that breakthrough.

Ndhlovu's stay comes to an end, and Nandani Sharma strikes. The Indian pacer gets one to nip back sharply from a length, catching the Zimbabwe opener on the back foot.

Ndhlovu swings across the line, but the ball sneaks under her bat and crashes into the off-stump. She departs for a painstaking 0 off 11 balls, and Zimbabwe have lost their first wicket. Sharma draws first blood.

Biza gets Zimbabwe moving! Gaud gets the ball to jag back in from a length, but Biza handles it neatly, tucking it away towards backward square leg for a single. Zimbabwe take a run off the final ball of the over.

Ndhlovu dances down the track but Nandani Sharma keeps her in check. The length delivery angles in, leaving the Zimbabwe batter cramped for room as she can only tap it straight back to the bowler. Another dot ball to close out the over!

And we're off! Kranti Gaud opens the attack for India, with Kelis Ndhlovu taking strike and Beloved Biza at the other end. Gaud starts with a length ball just outside off, and Ndhlovu goes for the pull, only to be caught out by the lack of bounce.

The ball trickles through to the keeper, and Ndhlovu can only manage a wry smile. No run to start Zimbabwe's innings.

Smriti Mandhana (India captain): “Well, looking to field first today as well. Of course, as a team, we'd like to have a convincing chase last time, so I'll try and get better in this game.”

On the pitch and India's bowling plans, she said: “It looks like it's a little wicket what we played on the first match, again similar conditions. So yeah, bowlers did definitely a good job, but again we'll look to be more disciplined with the ball.”

On India's batting concerns after slipping to 19 for 4, Mandhana added: “Yeah, for sure. I mean as a batting unit, we pride ourselves to have a really strong batting unit, which we definitely have. So we'll definitely look to get better in that department.”

Confirming that India will stick with the same playing XI, she said: “No, we'll be the same XI.”

On the opportunity to win the series as captain, Mandhana said: “Well, I'm really looking forward to playing some good cricket. I think we don't do anything in terms of thinking of what's going to happen after the match. We want to come here out there, play the best cricket. So I'm just looking forward to that one.”

Josephine Nkomo (Zimbabwe captain): Explaining Zimbabwe's decision to bat first, Nkomo said: “We're looking to have a bat. Last time we had a good start, and we're hoping to carry it forward.”

On the need for the middle order to contribute more, she said: “Yeah, definitely. So today the plan is just to try rotate the strike more and just turn those ones into twos, and I'm sure we'll be good to go.”

Asked whether Zimbabwe could replicate their previous performance, Nkomo said: “Hopefully if we go through our process well, we should be able to replicate it. Of course it was a good feeling, and I think it gives our bowlers a bit of confidence.”

Confirming that Zimbabwe will also field an unchanged XI, she said: “No.”

India Women (Playing XI): Smriti Mandhana(c), Shafali Verma, Anushka Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Niki Prasad, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh(w), Arundhati Reddy, Shree Charani, Nandani Sharma, Kranti Gaud

Zimbabwe Women (Playing XI): Kelis Ndhlovu, Beloved Biza, Modester Mupachikwa(w), Sharne Mayers, Nyasha Gwanzura, Michelle Mavunga, Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano, Francisca Chipare, Josephine Nkomo(c), Olinder Chare, Tendai Makusha

Zimbabwe Women have won the toss and have opted to bat.

Welcome to our live coverage of the 2nd T20I match between India women and Zimbabwe women in Raipur! Get ready for an action-packed evening as the Women in Blue take the field. Stay tuned with us today for live scores, team updates, and all the ball-by-ball action right here.