Young batting all-rounder Niki Prasad made history in Raipur on 19 October 2026 by taking wickets with each of her first two deliveries in international cricket, becoming only the third player in T20I history to achieve the feat. The milestone came during the second T20I against Zimbabwe, as India romped to a nine-wicket victory to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

The Historic Milestone

Niki Prasad finished with figures of 2 for 7 from two overs of off-spin, joining Australia's Michael Kasprowicz and USA's Akshatha Rao as the only players to strike with their first two deliveries in T20Is. The 19-year-old, who captained India to a second successive Women's Under-19 T20 World Cup triumph in Malaysia in 2025, is making a seamless transition to senior cricket.

A Composed All-Round Debut

The bowling effort built on an equally impressive series opener at the same Raipur venue, where Prasad scored an unbeaten 39 off 35 balls and struck the winning runs on debut. Alongside her individual contributions, the team also delivered a sharp fielding display, though she acknowledged a few misfields. 'I think in every practice session and every match, we try to make as many improvements as possible. There were some misfields here and there, but overall, our team's progress has been really good,' she said.

Mindset: Lessons Over Burden

Prasad was candid about her approach to managing performance pressure. 'If I keep thinking that my performance is not good, then I think I will play the next matches under the same pressure. So I think about what the lessons were from a match that didn't go well and how to apply them in the next match,' she said in the post-match press conference.

On the bowling strategy, she credited collective clarity: 'Our plans were very clear. We wanted to attack the stumps as much as possible. I think all the bowlers were very sharp in executing the plan.'

Settling into the Senior Setup

Reflecting on her first experience in the senior India squad, Prasad praised new captain Smriti Mandhana for maintaining the team's established culture. 'This is also my first time with the Indian team. Over the years, I can see how good the team environment has been. And I think Smriti di is carrying the same thing forward,' she added.

She also highlighted how the batting unit recalibrated after the series opener: 'The flow of the batters is not the same every day. We came back and talked about what we could do better. It was very basic: we would focus on our strengths as much as possible. All the batters, Smriti di and Shafali di, went out and played to their strengths.'

What's Next

India will seek a 3-0 clean sweep when they face Zimbabwe in the third and final T20I in Raipur on Tuesday. If Prasad's start is anything to go by, the young all-rounder looks set to be a fixture in India's white-ball plans for years to come.