Team India opener Shafali Verma had top-scored with 55 in the second T20I match vs Zimbabwe in Raipur on Sunday.
Published: October 20, 2026, 3:40 PM IST
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India’s Shafali Verma en route to scoring 55 in 2nd T20I match vs Zimbabwe(Source: X)
IND-W vs ZIM-W 2026 3rd T20: Shafali Verma has recently taken over as the vice-captain of the Indian women’s cricket team in T20I cricket under the leadership of Smriti MandhanaThe 22-year-old Indian opener celebrated her elevation with a blazing 55 in the second T20I match against Zimbabwe in Raipur on Sunday, which was her 22nd fifty in the format.
However, there is some bad news for the in-form Indian batter after the second T20I matchShafali was on Tuesday handed an official reprimand for throwing the ball to the ground in frustration after dropping a catch during the second T20I against ZimbabweThe Haryana batter was found to have breached Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during India’s nine-wicket victory in Raipur on Sunday.
Shafali Gets Official Warning After Angry Throw!
India’s T20I vice-captain Shafali Verma was reprimanded and given one demerit point for throwing the ball in frustration after dropping a catch in the second T20I against ZimbabweShe admitted the offencehttps://t.co/NtSt3zE8HL
— Cricket Hub (@Anurag9793) October 20, 2026
According to the ICC statement, Shafali was found to have breached Article 2.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to ‘abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during an International Match’In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to Shafali Verma’s disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period.
The incident occurred in the 12th over of Zimbabwe’s innings when Verma, after dropping Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano at mid-off off Shree Charani’s bowling, threw the ball to the ground in frustrationThe Delhi Capitals all-rounder admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by GS Lakshmi of the ICC International Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing.
On-field umpires Vrinda Rathi and Gayathri Venugopalan, third umpire Anna Harris and fourth umpire Janani Narayanan levelled the chargeLevel 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.
Shafali is India’s leading run-scorer in T20I cricket in 2026 with 922 runs so far and the leading run-getter in the format in the world as wellShe needs only 78 runs in the third and final T20I match in Raipur on Tuesday to complete 1000 runs in the calendar year.
India bowlers Shree Charani, Deepti Sharma dominate ICC rankings
Indian spinners Shree Charani and Deepti Sharma maintained their hold over the ICC T20I Rankings for bowlers, while pacers Kranti Gaud and Nandani Sharma made steady progress following a T20I series win over Zimbabwe under Smriiti Mandhana.
Seamer Nandani Sharma is the joint leading wicket-taker across the first two matches of the series with three scalps, and the right-arm pacer made a massive 26-place jump to move to 45th on the list for T20I bowlers.
Teammate Kranti Gaud (up nine rungs to 43rd) also makes progress in this rankings category, with India duo Sree Charani (first) and Deepti Sharma (second) maintaining their positions at the top of the rankings for T20I bowlers after economical returns against Zimbabwe.
There is also some movement on the rankings for T20I bowlers following the first match of the trans-Tasman series between Australia and New ZealandAustralia’s Annabel Sutherland (up one rung to eighth), New Zealand’s Jess Kerr (up five spots to 17th), Bree Illing (up six slots to 23rd) and Nensi Patel (up five places to 35th) all making gains in this rankings category.
