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Shafali Verma 55 off 24: India women beat Zimbabwe in 8.5 overs, set a T20I record
Shafali Verma smashed 55 off 24 balls as India women chased 103 in just 8.5 overs to beat Zimbabwe by nine wickets in the 2nd T20I in Raipur on 18 October 2026. Her 96-run opening stand with Smriti Mandhana was the pair's ninth 50-plus partnership of 2026, a world record for a calendar year in women's T20Is.
TL;DRThe short version
- Shafali Verma's blitz: Shafali Verma hit 55 off 24 balls (six fours, four sixes) as India women chased 103 in 8.5 overs to beat Zimbabwe by nine wickets in the 2nd T20I at Raipur on Sunday, 18 October 2026 (Cricket World).
- A world record: Her 96-run opening stand with captain Smriti Mandhana was the pair's ninth 50-plus partnership of 2026, the most by any pair in a calendar year in women's T20Is. It beat the eight by Hong Kong's Yasmin Daswani and Natasha Miles (News18).
- Series sealed: India lead 2-0 with one match left, so the series is won. Zimbabwe had elected to bat and were held to 102/8.
- The 3rd and final T20I is on Tuesday, 20 October, at 7 PM IST in Raipur. Check the match centre on BCCI.tv: bcci.tv match centreTimings are as listed on BCCI.tv; check there for any change.
Key facts
- Match
- India women vs Zimbabwe women, 2nd T20I
- Date and venue
- Sunday, 18 October 2026, Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur
- Toss
- Zimbabwe women elected to bat
- Zimbabwe
- 102/8 in 20 overs
- India
- 104/1 in 8.5 overs
- Result
- India won by 9 wickets; lead series 2-0 with one game left
- Shafali Verma
- 55 off 24 balls, 6 fours and 4 sixes; out at 96/1 in the 8th over
- Record
- Mandhana and Shafali's 9th 50-plus T20I stand of 2026, a calendar-year record in women's T20Is (News18)
- Next match
- 3rd T20I, Tuesday 20 October 2026, 7 PM IST, Raipur (BCCI.tv)
Short answer: Shafali Verma made a 103-run chase look like a powerplay drill. Her 55 off 24 balls took India women past Zimbabwe's 102/8 in only 8.5 overs in the 2nd T20I at Raipur on 18 October 2026. India won by nine wickets, sealed the series 2-0, and Shafali and Smriti Mandhana set a new calendar-year record for 50-plus partnerships in women's T20Is.
How the chase went
- Fifty in 4.3 overs: Mandhana and Shafali brought up their fifty stand off just 28 deliveries. At that point Shafali had 28 off 14 and Mandhana 23 off 14 (Cricket World).
- 76/0 after the powerplay: By the end of the six-over powerplay India needed only 27 more runs from 14 overs (Cricket World).
- Shafali's 55: She reached 55 off 24 with six fours and four sixes before falling with the score on 96/1 in the eighth over. That was the only wicket India lost.
- Done with 67 balls to spare: India finished on 104/1 in 8.5 overs, which means they used 53 of their 120 balls.
Zimbabwe's innings: 102/8
Zimbabwe chose to bat and never got going. They were 20/1 after the powerplay and 51/3 at the halfway mark, with Chipo Mugeri Tiripano and Josephine Nkomo at the crease. India gave away just 51 more runs in the second half while taking five wickets, and Zimbabwe crossed 100 with only four balls left (Cricket World). The wickets fell at 10, 20, 30, 75, 75, 94, 99 and 102. Photos shared by BCCI Women also highlighted a sharp catch by Niki Prasad.
The record, explained
News18 reports that the 96-run stand was Mandhana and Shafali's ninth 50-plus partnership of 2026 in T20Is. That's the most by any pair, for any wicket, in a calendar year in women's T20Is. The previous mark was eight, held by Hong Kong's Yasmin Daswani and Natasha Miles, who also set it this year.
Why it matters: it says less about one big innings and more about how consistently India's opening pair have been starting games in 2026. With one T20I still to play against Zimbabwe, they have another chance to stretch the record.
01
Myth The series is still level and the third match decides it.
Fact No. India lead 2-0 in a three-match series, so they have already won it. The third T20I on 20 October is the final game.
02
Myth Shafali and Mandhana broke the record for the highest opening stand in women's T20Is.
Fact Not quite. The record News18 reports is for the most 50-plus partnerships by a pair in a calendar year (nine in 2026), not for the biggest single stand.
India's XI
Smriti Mandhana (captain), Shafali Verma (vice-captain), Anushka Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Niki Prasad, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Shree Charani, Nandani Sharma and Kranti Gaud (Cricket World, News18).
What's next
The 3rd T20I is on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, at 7 PM IST at the same Raipur ground, according to BCCI.tv. The series is already decided, so watch for whether India rest anyone, and whether Mandhana and Shafali add a tenth 50-plus stand.
Trend Monitor
Shafali Verma was one of the biggest searches in India on Sunday evening. Google's Trending Now feed for India listed 'shafali verma' at 20,000+ searches (feed checked ~9:45 PM IST, 18 Oct). Under the broad seed 'cricket' (pytrends, geo=IN, now 4-H, ~9:45 PM IST), the long-form query 'india women's national cricket team vs zimbabwe women's national cricket team match scorecard' was up +12,400%. Related queries for 'shafali verma' over the past day included 'gunalan kamalini' (+300%) and 'indw vs zimw' (+60%).
- shafali verma20,000+ searches (Google Trending Now, India, ~9:45 PM IST 18 Oct)
- india women's national cricket team vs zimbabwe women's national cricket team match scorecard+12,400% (pytrends related to 'cricket', now 4-H, geo=IN)
- indw vs zimw+60% (pytrends related to 'shafali verma', now 1-d, geo=IN)
Google Trends, India, rising queries, 30 days