Charani Takes 4 For 23 As India Women Win Vadodara ODI By Nine Wickets

Shree Charani took the best ODI figures of her career as India Women beat Zimbabwe by nine wickets in the first one-day international at Vadodara on Friday. Her 4 for 23 held the visitors to 197. Pratika Rawal answered with 100 not out. India reached the target in 27.1 overs, with 137 balls unused, and lead the three-match series 1-0.

Charani bowled her ten overs in one unbroken block. Three of them were maidens. Her previous best in the format was 3 for 41. Kranti Gaud took 3 for 42 and Deepti Sharma 2 for 44, so Zimbabwe lost nine wickets to three bowlers.

Charani's four-for turns the innings

The left-arm spinner struck in the middle overs and again at the death. Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano went lbw. Sharne Mayers edged to Sayali Satghare. Nyasha Gwanzura was caught and bowled. Michelle Mavunga, the one Zimbabwe batter who hit through the line late, holed out to Jintimani Kalita for 29 from 23 balls.

India used six bowlers. Charani was the only one to go at under three an over. The full card reads:

• Shree Charani 4 for 23 from 10 overs, three maidens
• Kranti Gaud 3 for 42 from 10 overs
• Deepti Sharma 2 for 44 from 9.5 overs
• Shafali Verma 1 for 28 from 8 overs
• Sayali Satghare 0 for 33 from 7 overs
• Jintimani Kalita 0 for 23 from 5 overs

Zimbabwe's 197 and the chances India gave

Zimbabwe batted first and lasted 49.5 overs. Beloved Biza top scored with 62 from 92 balls before Deepti bowled her. Modester Mupachikwa made 25 from 44 and Mugeri-Tiripano 21 from 27. Twelve extras went into the total. Seven of the eleven made 13 or fewer.

India were not clean in the field. Onmanorama reported three drops: Richa Ghosh missed Mugeri-Tiripano in the third over, Deepti could not hold a second-slip chance off Mupachikwa in the eighth, and Gaud spilled Mavunga at deep midwicket in the 40th. None of the three reprieved batters went on to pass 30.

Rawal and Shafali finish it in 27.1 overs

Smriti Mandhana and Rawal put on 94 for the first wicket. Mandhana fell for 32 from 34 balls, caught by Biza off Olinder Chare, who finished with 1 for 58. That was the only wicket Zimbabwe took.

Rawal reached 100 not out from 96 balls with 15 fours. It is her third hundred in ODIs. Shafali came in at number three and made 64 not out from 33, hitting five fours and four sixes, which turned a routine chase into a rout. India closed on 200 for 1.

Two more ODIs in Vadodara

The series stays at the Kotambi ground in Vadodara. The second ODI is on 25 October and the third on 28 October. Zimbabwe arrived in India for a T20I series in Raipur earlier this month and have now been beaten inside 28 overs in their first 50-over game of the tour.

India's top three scored 196 of the 200 runs. Zimbabwe's top scorer faced 92 balls for 62, a strike rate of 67. Charani has now taken four or more wickets in an innings in both white-ball formats.