India Women were put in to bowl first by Zimbabwe captain Josephine Nkomo in the second T20I of the three-match series at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur, on Sunday, 18 October. Both sides fielded unchanged playing XIs from the first match, held at the same venue just two days earlier.

Toss and Team News

Zimbabwe captain Josephine Nkomo won the toss and elected to bat, drawing confidence from her side's showing in the first T20I, where they pushed India in a modest chase of 115. 'We're looking to have a bat. Last time we had a good start, and we're hoping to carry it forward,' Nkomo said at the toss. She identified the middle order as a key area to improve, adding that the team's plan was 'to try to rotate the strike more and just turn those ones into twos.'

India skipper Smriti Mandhana, in her early days of full-time captaincy, said the preference to field first aligned with her own thinking. '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,' Mandhana said. She also noted the pitch looked similar to the one used in the first match and emphasised that India's bowlers would need to be 'more disciplined with the ball.'

What Happened in the First T20I

India's opening game in the series — their first-ever international meeting with Zimbabwe — proved far from straightforward. Chasing a target of 115, the Women in Blue were in real trouble at 19 for 4 after their top four batters all returned single-digit scores. The collapse threatened to derail the chase entirely.

However, debutant Niki Prasad and veteran all-rounder Deepti Sharma steadied the innings with a composed 82-run partnership. Prasad remained unbeaten on 39 off 45 balls, while Deepti was dismissed for 49. India eventually crossed the line with a four-wicket win and 26 balls to spare.

Mandhana's Captaincy Challenge

A win in the second T20I would hand Mandhana a series victory in her opening assignment as India's full-time skipper. Characteristically measured, she deflected the pressure of the occasion: 'We don't do anything in terms of thinking about 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.'

Notably, the early top-order wobble in the first game — a hallmark concern in India Women's recent T20 outings — is an area Mandhana acknowledged directly. 'As a batting unit, we pride ourselves on having a really strong batting unit, which we definitely have. So we'll definitely look to get better in that department,' she said.

Playing XIs

India Women: Smriti Mandhana (c), Shafali Verma, Anushka Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Niki Prasad, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Arundhati Reddy, Shree Charani, Nandani Sharma, Kranti Ga.

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

With a series win on the line and lingering questions over India's top-order fragility, the second T20I in Raipur sets up as a significant early test for Mandhana's leadership era.