India Women Beat Zimbabwe, Win ODI Series 2-0

India Women beat Zimbabwe by 121 runs in Vadodara on October 25 to take the three-match ODI series 2-0 with a game to spare.

India chose to bat at the BCA Stadium and were 19/2 early, after captain Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma fell cheaply. Harmanpreet Kaur steadied the innings with 126 off 121 balls, including 15 fours. She reached her hundred in the 41st over, off 102 balls. She added 124 for the third wicket with Pratika Rawal, who also made a fifty. It was Harmanpreet's eighth ODI century. Mithali Raj finished with seven, so Harmanpreet now sits second among Indian women, behind only Mandhana.

Deepti Sharma did the finishing. She hit an unbeaten 106 off 86 balls from No. 6 and became the first Indian woman to score an ODI century at No. 6 or lower. She brought up the landmark with a boundary in the final over. It was her second ODI hundred. She and Harmanpreet shared a 153-run stand for the fifth wicket, the highest for India Women at that position or lower. India finished on 328/6. Nomvelo Sibanda took 2/38 for Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe had a promising start in their chase of 329. Modester Mupachikwa made 49 off 70 balls and Chipo Mugari-Tiripano added 46. Then the spinners took charge. Left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma took 4/39 from 10 overs in only her second ODI. It was her first ODI wicket and her first four-wicket haul in international cricket. Deepti followed her batting with 3/32 from nine overs. Zimbabwe were bowled out for 207 in the 49th over.

The win seals the series after India won the first ODI by nine wickets. It is also Smriti Mandhana's first series win as full-time ODI captain of India. Vaishnavi came into the XI in place of the rested Gaud.

India will now look for a clean sweep in the third and final ODI of the tour.