In Women’s Cricket, India defeated Zimbabwe by nine wickets in the first One-Day International at Vadodara last night to take a one-nil lead in the three-match series. Chasing a target of 198 runs, India cruised to victory in just 27.1 overs, with nine wickets in hand and 22.5 overs to spare. Pratika Rawal struck an unbeaten 100 off 96 balls, including 15 boundaries, to register her third century in the 50-over format. Earlier, Shree Charani returned career-best figures of four for 23 to restrict Zimbabwe. Beloved Biza was the top scorer for Zimbabwe, with 62 runs off 92 balls.

 

Earlier, India’s bowlers restricted Zimbabwe to 197 runs in 49.5 overs after the visitors won the toss and elected to bat. Spinner Shree Charani led the attack with figures of four for 23. Kranti Gaud claimed three wickets, while vice-captain Deepti Sharma took two and Shafali Verma picked up one. Beloved Biza was Zimbabwe’s highest scorer with 62 runs. 

 

Pratika Rawal was adjudged Player of the Match. The victory marked a dominant start for the reigning ODI world champions, who returned to the format after a gap of nearly eight months. It was also Smriti Mandhana’s first ODI as India’s full-time captain. The second match of the three-match series will be played in Vadodara tomorrow at 2 PM IST.