Vadodara: India Women's team captain Smriti Mandhana lauded the stellar performances of bowlers Shri Charani and Kranti Gaud, alongside aggressive batting by Prathika Rawal and Shafali Verma, following their dominant nine-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the first One-Day International. This win puts India 1-0 up in the three-match series.

Shri Charani delivered a career-best spell, grabbing four wickets for just 23 runs. Her exceptional bowling laid the foundation for India's comfortable chase. Complementing her, Kranti Gaud also made a significant impact, securing three crucial wickets. Mandhana praised the bowlers, stating, "The bowlers adapted well to different conditions. Shri Charani bowled brilliantly, and Kranti also impressed. However, we did drop a few catches in the fielding."

In response to Zimbabwe's modest total, Prathika Rawal smashed her third ODI century, remaining unbeaten on 100 runs from 96 balls, including 15 boundaries. Shafali Verma provided excellent support with an aggressive unbeaten 64. Their partnership ensured India chased down the target with 22.5 overs to spare. Mandhana highlighted their batting prowess: "In batting, Prathika and Shafali showed excellent rhythm. We are playing 50-over cricket after a long time, having played T20 cricket for the past seven months. Communication with the players is important."

Player of the Match, Prathika, expressed her delight, saying, "It's special to contribute to the team. The aim was to bat as long as possible. Today was a great day. Today's innings wasn't perfect, but as a batter, you have to learn."

Zimbabwe's acting captain Nomvelo Sibanda admitted their shortcomings: "We couldn't play the way we wanted. We scored 100 runs less and also missed some opportunities while bowling. We didn't bowl consistently with the right length. Only Beloved Biza's half-century was a positive for us in this match."

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