Vaishnavi Sharma’s maiden five-for sets up India Women’s 3-0 ODI sweep of Zimbabwe in Vadodara

India Women finished their first-ever bilateral series against Zimbabwe Women with a 3-0 whitewash on Wednesday, 28 October, winning the third and final one-day international by eight wickets at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi, Vadodara. Twenty-year-old Vaishnavi Sharma did most of the damage with her first five-wicket haul in international cricket, before Pratika Rawal and Shafali Verma wrapped up the chase with unbeaten half-centuries.

Zimbabwe chose to bat after winning the toss but were dismissed for 131 in 39.5 overs. India needed only 17 overs to reach 133 for 2, leaving 33 overs unused.

Vaishnavi’s record-making spell

Vaishnavi finished with 5 for 39 from her full quota of ten overs, a step up from the four wickets she claimed in the second match. According to figures reported by India.com and Open magazine, she was 20 years and 314 days old, which makes her the second-youngest Indian woman to take five wickets in an ODI. Only Deepti Sharma, who did it at 18 in 2016, was younger. NewsBytes and India.com also noted that no Indian bowler had previously taken a five-for against Zimbabwe in women’s ODIs. She was named Player of the Match, RevSportz reported.

Zimbabwe were 30 for 3 at the end of the first powerplay and never recovered. Modester Mupachikwa top-scored with 37 off 48 balls before she was stumped off Vaishnavi, while captain Josephine Nkomo made a patient 35 from 67 deliveries and Chiedza Dhururu added 20. Sayali Satghare (2 for 11 in six overs) and Kranti Gaud (2 for 23) shared the remaining wickets.

Rawal and Shafali finish it in a hurry

The chase began badly when opener Yastika Bhatia, who also kept wicket, fell to the very first ball of the innings, caught off Nomvelo Sibanda. Harleen Deol, batting at No. 3, steadied the reply with a brisk 19 from 19 balls and added 59 for the second wicket with Rawal before Loryn Phiri removed her.

Shafali then took over. She raced to an unbeaten 51 off just 26 balls, and NewsBytes said the 26-ball fifty equals Richa Ghosh’s mark as the second-quickest by an Indian in women’s ODIs. Rawal, at the other end, was 59 not out from 56 balls, and the pair put on an unbroken 74 for the third wicket to close the game. (One report described this as a second-wicket stand; the sequence of dismissals shows it was the third.)

Series context

India had won the opening ODI by nine wickets and the second, also in Vadodara on Sunday, 25 October, by 121 runs, when centuries from Harmanpreet Kaur (126) and Deepti Sharma (106 not out) lifted them to 328 for 6. Rawal scored 100 not out, 61 and 59 not out across the three games for 220 runs and was named Player of the Series, according to RevSportz.

The result capped Smriti Mandhana’s first ODI series as India’s full-time captain. Open magazine reported that India had also won the preceding T20I series 3-0, meaning Zimbabwe leave the tour without a win in either format.

Sources

• India.com: IND-W vs ZIM-W, 3rd ODI: Vaishnavi Sharma becomes 2nd youngest Indian with five-for
• RevSportz: Vaishnavi’s fifer, Pratika’s consistency as India complete ODI clean sweep
• Open: India clinch Zimbabwe ODI series 3-0 as Vaishnavi Sharma shines with five-wicket haul
• NewsBytes: India overcome Zimbabwe in 3rd WODI, seal series 3-0: Stats
• Outlook India: IND-W vs ZIM-W 3rd ODI highlights
• Telangana Today: Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma centuries power India to ODI series win over Zimbabwe