Deepti Sharma And Niki Prasad Create T20I Partnership History Vs Zimbabwe

Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad win it for India [Source: @BCCIWomen/x]

Deepti Sharma and debutant Niki Prasad saved Team India from the blushes against Zimbabwe in the first T20I of their three-match series in Raipur. The two cricketers stitched together a nervy 82-run partnership for the fifth wicket as the ‘Women in Blue’ took a 1-0 lead in the series.

Through the course of their match-winning effort, both Deepti and Niki also scripted a huge national record for the India Women’s team in T20I cricket.

Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad steer India to win with record partnership

Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad broke India’s decade-old record with their match-winning 82-run partnership against Zimbabwe Women at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur on October 16.

Not only did the two middle-order batters anchored India to a comfortable four-wicket win in the end, the two cricketers also went past Anuja Patil and Meghna Raj to script India’s highest-ever fifth-wicket partnership in Women’s T20Is.

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Highest 5th-wicket partnerships for India in WT20Is:

82 - Niki Prasad & Deepti Sharma vs Zimbabwe, Raipur, 2026, Tonight*
77 - Anuja Patil & Meghna Raj vs Sri Lanka, Ranchi, 2016
75 - Richa Ghosh & Harmanpreet Kaur vs UAE, Dambulla, 2024

It is worth noting that both Niki Prasad and Deepti Sharma formed forces for India at a precarious 19-4 in the fourth over of the innings. Chasing 115 runs for a win, Niki composed 39* off 35 balls while the legendary all-rounder charted 49 off 37 deliveries with eight cracking boundaries. Their partnership took India home with four wickets and 26 balls to spare.

Additionally, the partnership between the two cricketers also marked the highest fifth-wicket stand by any team in T20Is against Zimbabwe Women. Here is a look at three of the biggest fifth-wicket partnerships recorded against Zimbabwe in Women’s T20Is.

Highest 5th Wicket Partnerships vs Zimbabwe in WT20Is:

82 - Niki Prasad & Deepti Sharma (India), Raipur, 2026, Tonight*
78* - Eyman Fatima & Natalia Pervaiz (Pakistan), Karachi, 2026
75* - Nannapat Koncharoenkai & Chanida Sutthiruang (Thailand), Harare, 2021

India extend winning streak in T20Is

With their partnership, India secured a comfortable four-wicket win to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The outcome helped Team India extend its winning streak to nine matches in the format.

This is now India’s highest winning streak in history, eclipsing the seven matches they won in succession back in 2018. Here is a look at India’s longest winning streaks in T20I history.