India Women beat Zimbabwe Women by nine wickets in the first ODI of their three-match series at Vadodara on October 23, with Pratika Rawal's unbeaten century setting up a comfortable chase in the first-ever bilateral meeting between the two sides.
Zimbabwe, batting first, were bowled out for 197, built around Beloved Biza's 62 and a supporting 29 from Michelle Mavunga. Shree Charani was the pick of India's bowlers with 4 for 23, with Kranti Gaud adding 3 for 42 as India's attack worked through the middle and lower order.
In reply, India lost only one wicket, reaching 200 in 27.1 overs to win by nine wickets with well over 20 overs unused. Rawal finished unbeaten on 100 off 96 balls and was named Player of the Match, while Shafali Verma blazed to 64 not out off 33 balls, the pair putting on an unbroken 106-run stand for the second wicket that settled the match well before the halfway point of the innings.
The result gives India a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, part of the sides' first-ever bilateral assignment, which followed India's 3-0 sweep of the T20I leg in Raipur. Unlike the T20Is, this series carries ICC Women's Championship 2025-29 points, giving the result direct bearing on World Cup qualification. Smriti Mandhana captained the side in the 50-over format for the first time in the fixture.
A comfortable opening win extends India's dominant start to Zimbabwe's maiden tour and gives Mandhana an untroubled first outing as ODI captain. For Zimbabwe, needing only 27.1 overs to be beaten is a reminder of the gap between the sides at this level, even as the tour itself remains a landmark moment for a side playing its first bilateral series against India in any format.
Rawal's conversion of starts into hundreds makes her the clear top-order pick for the remaining two matches, with Verma's strike rate at the top of the chase adding further value. Charani's four-wicket haul is also worth a look as a differential pick in a bowling attack that otherwise did its job without being tested deep into Zimbabwe's innings.
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Scores and the result in this article are verified against same-day match reports and freshly re-checked sources as of October 24, 2026.
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