- Vaishnavi Sharma’s five goals give India a 3-0 win in the ODI series against Zimbabwe. Left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma took five wickets and Pratika Rawal and Shafali Verma hit half-centuries as India secured an eight-wicket win in the third women’s ODI on Wednesday.
- Vaishnavi Sharma (Source: ICC/) India registered a 3-0 win over Zimbabwe in the women’s ODI series on Wednesday, winning the third and final match by eight wickets.
- Left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma’s five-wicket haul restricted Zimbabwe to 131 in 39.5 overs and Pratika Rawal’s compound half-century then led the hosts to a comfortable chase alongside Shafali Verma, who made 51* from 26 balls.
Vaishnavi Sharma’s five goals give India a 3-0 win in the ODI series against Zimbabwe. Left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma took five wickets and Pratika Rawal and Shafali Verma hit half-centuries as India secured an eight-wicket win in the third women’s ODI on Wednesday.
Vaishnavi Sharma (Source: ICC/) India registered a 3-0 win over Zimbabwe in the women’s ODI series on Wednesday, winning the third and final match by eight wickets. Left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma’s five-wicket haul restricted Zimbabwe to 131 in 39.5 overs and Pratika Rawal’s compound half-century then led the hosts to a comfortable chase alongside Shafali Verma, who made 51* from 26 balls. The 20-year-old Vaishnavi, playing only his third ODI, ended with figures of five for 39 in 10 overs.
She had already taken four wickets in the second ODI of the same series, making it a notable consecutive contribution from the 20-year-old. Pratika remained unbeaten on 59 off 56 balls while Shafali Verma batted at No.1. 4, fired 51 not out from just 26 balls to help India reach the target in just 17 overs.
How did Indian bowlers defeat Zimbabwe for 131? Pacer Sayali Satghare struck early, defeating opener Loryn Phiri by a slight margin down the leg side in her first over. 3 Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano followed shortly afterwards and fended off a regular throw from Shafali Verma straight to the fielder.
Vaishnavi then took control of the innings. She first dismissed the beloved Biza before thwarting the in-form Modester Mupachikwa. Sensing that Mupachikwa was about to advance down the field, Vaishnavi threw a long throw and had it parried by wicketkeeper Yastika Bhatia.
Mupachikwa was Zimbabwe’s best batsman of the day, hitting 37 off 48 balls. Vaishnavi’s fifth and final wicket came on the last ball of her spell when Nyasha Gwanzura attempted a wild swing and the ball bounced off her pads onto the stumps. Kranti Gaud and Satghare picked up two wickets each to support Vaishnavi’s efforts.
A series of soft dismissals early in the innings had put Zimbabwe under pressure and their batsmen struggled throughout India’s white-ball tour. How did Indian batting seal the chase and how important was the series? Ctain Smriti Mandhana sent Yastika Bhatia ahead alongside Pratika Rawal, but Bhatia squandered the chance by attemng a cross-field shot on the first ball she faced and was caught in the middle.
However, Pratika was not worried. She had scored 100 and 61 in the first two ODIs and on Wednesday she reached her 10th ODI half-century in her 30th pearance in the format. She started with boundaries on both sides of the pitch before steadily building her innings.
Shafali joined him and accelerated the chase with a barrage that he finished unbeaten with 51 off 26 balls and India reached the target in just 17 overs. With the series already decided, India made three changes to their starting XI for the final, making way for Harleen Deol, Yastika Bhatia and Kranti Gaud. Gaud had been rested for the second ODI.
This was the first bilateral series between India and Zimbabwe in women’s cricket. India had also won the previous T20 series 3-0, making it a clean sweep in both formats. Zimbabwe, in turn, gained valuable experience by facing one of the best teams in women’s cricket on the white-ball tour.
