Shafali Verma threw the ball into the Raipur turf after a dropped catch, and the ICC has given her a demerit point
India’s T20I vice-captain has been reprimanded for a Level 1 breach in the second T20I against Zimbabwe, the same match she won with 55 off 25 balls.
Oct 20, 2026
Shafali Verma had a good Sunday in Raipur. She made 55 off 25 balls, India beat Zimbabwe by nine wickets to take the T20I series, and she was named player of the match. One moment in the field has now cost her a demerit point.
The ICC announced on Tuesday that India’s T20I vice-captain has been reprimanded for a Level 1 breach of its Code of Conduct during the second T20I. In the 12th over of Zimbabwe’s innings, Shafali dropped Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano at mid-off off Sree Charani’s bowling and threw the ball into the ground.
What she was charged with
The charge came under Article 2.2, which covers abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during an international match. It was brought by the on-field umpires, Vrinda Rathi and Gayathri Venugopalan, along with third umpire Anna Harris and fourth umpire Janani Narayanan.
Shafali admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by G.S. Lakshmi of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees, so there was no formal hearing. It is her first offence in a 24-month period, which is why she got off with a reprimand and one demerit point. A Level 1 breach can cost a player up to half her match fee and two demerit points.
The point matters more than the reprimand. Demerit points stay on a player’s record for 24 months, and four of them in that time turn into a ban of one Test, two ODIs or two T20Is, whichever comes first. Shafali has a long way to go before that is a worry, but it is the kind of thing a vice-captain would rather not have on her record at all.
The drop that started it
Mugeri-Tiripano made the most of the let-off. She went on to 34 off 32 balls, the top score in Zimbabwe’s 102 for 8, using the reverse sweep against the spinners. Niki Prasad eventually had her caught behind with her first ball in international cricket and took another wicket with her second.
The frustration is easy to understand. Shafali had gone cheaply in Friday’s opener, caught and bowled by Nyasha Gwanzura as India slid to 19 for 4 chasing 115, and Sunday was her chance to put that right. The fifty did it, and India were home in 8.5 overs.
A clean sweep, then Vadodara
The third and final T20I is in Raipur on Tuesday, with India 2-0 up and going for a clean sweep. After that the teams move to Vadodara for three ODIs on 23, 25 and 28 October. Shafali is in that squad too, though Deepti Sharma is Smriti Mandhana’s deputy in the 50-over side.