Who will open with Smriti Mandhana? This was the big question on the lips of those watching as India set out to chase 198 in the first ODI against Zimbabwe here on Friday.

Smriti, recently appointed full-time skipper, opted to open with Pratika Rawal, sending Shafali Verma to number 3, a spot usually occupied by Jemimah Rodrigues, who is missing due to injury.

The results will have no one complaining, though, with Pratika scoring a solid century and Shafali blitzing away to a half-century, securing a simple win for India in the process.

“Before going in to bat, I saw highlights on the TV of the game against New Zealand (from the 2025 World Cup), and I thought that was the game where I scored my last hundred,” Pratika said after the game.

“Good to be back in the room, always good to score runs and contribute to a team’s victory by batting as long as I can. It was one of those days when the ball went where I wanted it to. Luckily, it turned out really good today,” she added.

Happy to learn

Shafali, barely made for the slow-steady mode, was aware of the limitations of the no.3 role.

“Of course, I didn’t get that 10 over PowerPlay with just two fielders outside. I just tried to take the singles and I will learn these things. ODIs are testing my patience, but I am really happy to learn,” she quipped.

The win was set up by N. Sree Charani’s career-best figures of four for 23, which included three maiden overs on a pitch that didn’t have much turn for the tweakers.

“I bowled to my strengths. I just focused on my lengths. In our bowling meetings before every game, we work on sticking to the channel and on attacking the stumps. We did that today,” the 22-year-old said.

On October 23, 2025, Pratika Rawal and Smriti Mandhana registered stunning centuries against New Zealand to bring a struggling ODI World Cup campaign back on track in Navi Mumbai.

Exactly a year later, Pratika, with help from a marauding Shafali Verma, raised her bat once more to earn India a crushing nine-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the first ODI at the BCA Stadium here on Friday.

Zimbabwe avoided a collective slow roast under the scorching sun and India’s big-hitting prowess by opting to bat first, but struggled to get going on the red-soil pitch. The home team’s tight lines and smart use of early swing condemned the visitor to a nervy crawl.

The Lady Chevrons managed three partnerships of over 40 runs. Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano and Modester Mupachikwa resisted the host’s charge, after which 17-year-old Beloved Biza took over, making best use of India’s wavering concentration to notch up her fourth ODI fifty.

Also useful for the away side were a few blips in the field and the occasional width given, especially by Deepti Sharma and debutant Jintimani Kalita. N. Shree Charani, however, punctuated any audacity shown with a miserly effort and four wickets to record her best figures in the format.

An enterprising cameo by Michelle Mavunga kept alive Zimbabwe’s dream of a total in excess of 200, only for it to guttingly fall short of that mark by three runs.

Chasing a meagre 198, Smriti and Pratika’s 94-run opening stand reduced Zimbabwe to a herd of deer in the headlights. Olinder Chare dismissed Smriti in the 16th over, but Shafali, batting at No. 3 for only the second time in the format, didn’t disappoint. Her 106-run unbroken partnership with Pratika sealed the contest with 137 balls to spare, getting India off to a winning start in the ICC Championship.

The scores: Zimbabwe 197 in 49.5 overs (Beloved Biza 62, N. Shree Charani 4/23, Kranti Gaud 3/42) lost to India 200/1 in 27.1 overs (Pratika Rawal 100 n.o., Shafali Verma 64 n.o.).

Toss: Zimbabwe; PoM: Pratika.