Indian women's cricket team's young opener Shafali Verma has created a new world record. She impressed with a brilliant innings in the second T20I against Zimbabwe, giving Team India a resounding victory. With this victory, India won the three-match series 2-0 with one match to spare. In

this match held in Raipur on Sunday, Shafali scored 55 runs in just 25 balls with the help of 6 fours and 4 huge sixes. In this sequence, she created history by becoming the cricketer who scored the most 50-plus scores in a single calendar year in women's T20Is. This is Shafali's 9th fifty-plus score in 2026 (one century, eight half-centuries). Earlier, this record was in the name of Indian captain Smriti Mandhana. Mandhana scored eight 50-plus scores in 2024. Shafali has recently surpassed her captain's record. Shafali has scored a total of 922 runs in 26 T20 matches so far this year.

Chasing a modest target of 103, Shafali opened the innings with Smriti Mandhana and played aggressively from the start. The pair put on a 96-run partnership for the first wicket to seal the victory. Shafali reached her half-century in 24 balls and was dismissed, while Mandhana remained unbeaten on 47 runs in 25 balls to lead the team to victory. India reached the target in just 8.5 overs.

Earlier, Zimbabwe, who batted earlier, could only manage 102 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. The Zimbabwean batsmen were stumped by the Indian bowlers. Nikki Prasad took 2 wickets for 7 runs, while the rest of the bowlers also excelled. Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano was the top scorer for Zimbabwe with 34 runs. With this series win, Smriti Mandhana looks set to win her first series after taking over as the full-time captain of the Indian women's team.