Indian Top Order Eyes Improved Show Against Zimbabwe In 2nd WT20I

The Indian top order will look to deliver a more assured batting display when they take on Zimbabwe in the second women's T20 International on Sunday.  India survived a major scare in the series opener, recovering from 19/4 through a match-winning 82-run partnership between debutant Niki Prasad and seasoned all-rounder Deepti Sharma to secure a four-wicket victory. The Indian batters were guilty of throwing their wickets away, with off-spinner Nyasha Gwanzura striking three times in the powerplay. The hosts will be keen to avoid a repeat of the early collapse, with the top four -- captain Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Anushka Sharma and former skipper Harmanpreet Kaur -- all falling for single-digit scores.

However, Deepti backed India's commitment to an aggressive approach, saying there would always be occasions when luck favoured the opposition.

"Of course, we want to play an aggressive brand of cricket, and that was in our mind," Deepti told reporters after the match.

"Occasionally these things happen in a match. There is no god who gives you exactly what you want. But we always learn from our innings and our matches. I'm sure what happened today won't happen in the next match," she added.

Mandhana, who took over the captaincy at the start of the series, will also be keen to lead from the front.

Niki, meanwhile, made an impressive start to her senior international career, showing composure and sound strokeplay under pressure.

"Niki played really well. Honestly, it didn't seem at all like she was making her debut. It felt like she had played quite a few matches for the country before.

"This confidence from a youngster is remarkable. Building a partnership when the team needs it and winning the match from a difficult situation is special. I'm sure she'll take a lot of confidence from this match," Deepti said.

India's bowling unit did a reasonable job of restricting Zimbabwe to 114/5, although the visitors will draw confidence from the contributions of opener Kelis Ndhlovu and Sharne Mayers.

Zimbabwe will also hope Gwanzura can build on her impressive three-wicket haul, which exposed India's vulnerability against spin during the powerplay.

Squads

India: Smriti Mandhana (C), Shafali Verma (VC), Niki Prasad, Harmanpreet Kaur, Anushka Sharma, Richa Ghosh (WK), G Kamalini (WK), Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Shree Charani, Nandni Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Jintimani Kalita, Minnu Mani.

Zimbabwe: Josephine Nkomo (C), Beloved Biza, Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano, Kelis Ndhlovu, Michelle Mavunga, Francisca Chipare, Olinder Chare, Kudzai Chigora, Nyasha Gwanzura, Nomvelo Sibanda, Loryn Phiri, Chiyedza Dhururu, Modester Mupachikwa, Tendai Makusha, Sharne Mayers.

Match starts at 7 PM IST.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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