India secured a dominant series victory over Zimbabwe, fueled by spectacular centuries from Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma. The pair displayed a batting masterclass, each striking 15 boundaries, to propel India to a formidable total of 328/6. Their 153-run partnership effectively neutralized the Zimbabwe bowling attack, which struggled to contain the flow of runs throughout the latter half of the innings. The ex-captain and Deepti hit 15 fours each in a batting masterclass that sent Zimbabwe fielders on a leather hunt for half the evening as they conceded a 328. Any joy they had with breakthroughs were brief as this pair piled on a 153-run stand. Bagging three wickets, deepti tormented Zimbabwe with the ball too. Deepti raced to a 37-ball fifty and the pair set India up for a flourish in the death.
The match began shakily for India after captain Smriti Mandhana elected to bat. Nomvelo Sibanda struck early, removing Mandhana in the opening over and later dismissing Shafali Verma, leaving the hosts at 19/2. However, Harmanpreet and Pratika Rawal rebuilt the innings with a crucial 124-run stand. Rawal provided a steady hand, contributing a brisk 61 off 67 balls before falling to a catch by Beloved Biza. Tejal Hasabnis departed shortly after, but her exit paved the way for the decisive Harmanpreet-Deepti surge. Pushing India to 68/2 in 10 overs, they kicked on soon after coming together. But against the run of play, Rawal was sent packing for 61 off 67 – caught at the deep midwicket boundary by Beloved Biza. Deepti, who finished well with the bat, did the honours with the ball too by dismissing Nyasha Gwanzura, Sibanda and Tendai Makusha.
Harmanpreet capitalized on three dropped catches to reach her 126-run total off 121 deliveries, marking her eighth ODI century for India and moving her past Mithali Raj’s record. After she was eventually dismissed by substitute fielder Kudzai Chigora, Deepti continued the momentum, finishing unbeaten on 106 from 86 balls as India surged toward a massive total in the closing overs. Making most of the three dropped catches that came at different junctures of the innings, harmanpreet brought up her hundred in the 41st.
Zimbabwe’s response faltered early as Loryn Phiri was removed for six by Shree Charani. While Modester Mupachikwa and Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano offered some resistance with scores of 49 and 46 respectively during a 69-run second-wicket partnership, the visitors could not maintain the required scoring rate. Once Sayali Satghare broke that stand by dismissing Tiripano, the Zimbabwe middle order collapsed, sliding from 107/2 to 168/5. By Shree Charani, opening batter Loryn Phiri struggled her way to a 22-ball six before being dismissed on the 23rd.
Vaishnavi Sharma proved lethal, claiming a four-wicket haul to dismantle the lineup, while Deepti rounded off a stellar all-round performance by taking 3/32. The chase ultimately folded in the 49th over at 207 all out. Brief Scores: India Women 328/6 (Harmanpreet 126, Deepti 106*, Rawal 61; Sibanda 2-38) beat Zimbabwe Women 207 (Mupachikwa 49, Mugeri-Tiripano 46; Vaishnavi 4-39, Deepti 3-32) by 121 runs. Giving 20-year-old left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma a four-wicket haul, zimbabwe batters got starts but couldn’t keep up with the mounting asking rate and fell away. There was a short period of time in this game where Zimbabwe didn’t look completely out of sorts. Brief Scores: India Women 328/6 in 50 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 126, Deepti Sharma 106*, Pratika Rawal 61; Nomvelo Sibanda 2-38) beat Zimbabwe Women 207 in 48.5 overs (Modester Mupachikwa 49, Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano 46; Vaishnavi Sharma 4-39, Deepti Sharma 3-32) by 121 runs.
