Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma struck commanding centuries as India Women thrashed Zimbabwe Women by 121 runs in the second ODI at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara on Sunday to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. It was also Smriti Mandhana’s first series win as India’s full-time ODI captain.
Brief scores: India Women 328 for 6 in 50 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 126, Deepti Sharma 106 not out, Pratika Rawal 61; Nomvelo Sibanda 2 for 38) beat Zimbabwe Women 207 all out in 48.5 overs (Modester Mupachikwa 49, Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano 46; Vaishnavi Sharma 4 for 39, Deepti Sharma 3 for 32) by 121 runs.
India, who chose to bat, made a poor start as Sibanda removed Mandhana for a duck in the opening over and Shafali Verma soon followed, leaving the hosts at 19 for 2. Harmanpreet began positively, cutting Sibanda past point and driving Tendai Makusha through the off side, while Rawal grew in confidence after a watchful start. Their 124-run partnership for the third wicket restored the innings, with Rawal reaching her ninth ODI fifty off 57 balls before she was caught near the deep midwicket boundary for 61 off 67 balls.
Zimbabwe struck twice in eight deliveries to leave India at 149 for 4, but that only brought Deepti to join Harmanpreet in the stand that decided the match. The pair added 155 runs, a record fifth-wicket partnership for India in women’s ODIs. Deepti raced from 16 to 55 in 23 balls, sweeping, pulling and cutting the spinners, while Harmanpreet, dropped on 68 by Zimbabwe captain Josephine Nkomo, reached her eighth ODI hundred off 102 balls. She eventually fell in the 47th over for 126 off 121 balls, with 15 fours.
Deepti entered the final over on 97 and swept Makusha for four to complete a memorable hundred, finishing unbeaten on 106 off 86 balls with 15 fours. It was her second ODI century, coming 3,450 days after her maiden hundred in 2017, and she became the first Indian woman to score an ODI century batting at number six or lower.
Zimbabwe’s chase began with intent, as Mupachikwa and Mugeri-Tiripano added 69 for the second wicket to take them to 107 for 1, but Vaishnavi Sharma turned the game. Playing only her second ODI, the left-arm spinner removed Mupachikwa for 49 for her maiden ODI wicket and finished with 4 for 39, while Deepti added three late wickets, including two in successive deliveries, as Zimbabwe were bowled out in the 49th over.
