Vadodara, October 25, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma struck centuries before left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma claimed her maiden four-wicket haul in international cricket as India defeated Zimbabwe by 121 runs in the second women’s ODI at the BCA Stadium on Sunday to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
After Pratika Rawal’s 61, Harmanpreet smashed 126 and Deepti remained unbeaten on 106 as the pair shared a record 153-run partnership for the fifth wicket to help India recover from 19/2 and post 328/6.
Zimbabwe began its chase positively, with Modester Mupachikwa scoring 49 and Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano making 46. However, Vaishnavi’s spell in the middle overs triggered a collapse, with Zimbabwe eventually bowled out for 207 in 48.5 overs.
Vaishnavi, brought into the XI in place of the rested Kranti Gaud, returned impressive figures of 4/39 from her 10 overs. Deepti completed an excellent all-round performance with 3/32, while Jintimani Kalita, Sayali Satghare and N Sree Charani took one wicket each.
India had a difficult beginning after opting to bat, losing Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma inside the first four overs. Harmanpreet and Pratika then rebuilt the innings with a 124-run third-wicket stand. Pratika reached her half-century from 57 balls before falling for 61, while Harmanpreet completed her eighth ODI century from 101 deliveries.
Harmanpreet was eventually dismissed for 126 off 121 balls, including 15 boundaries. Her partnership with Deepti became India’s highest for the fifth wicket or lower in women’s ODIs, surpassing the previous 122-run stand between Sneh Rana and Pooja Vastrakar against Pakistan in the 2022 ODI World Cup.
Deepti accelerated in the closing stages and reached her second ODI hundred from 83 balls, her first since 2017. She finished unbeaten on 106 off 86 deliveries, with 15 boundaries, becoming the first Indian woman to score an ODI century while batting at No. 6 or lower.
Zimbabwe’s reply started strongly, with Mupachikwa and Chipo putting on 69 for the second wicket. Sayali broke the partnership by dismissing Chipo for 46 before Vaishnavi took control.
The left-arm spinner dismissed Mupachikwa for 49, then removed Beloved Biza, Michelle Mavunga and captain Josephine Nkomo to complete her four-wicket haul. Deepti subsequently dismissed Nyasha Gwanzura, Nomvelo Sibanda and Tendai Makusha as Zimbabwe lost its last six wickets for 60 runs.
India will now head into the final ODI with the series already secured.
Brief Scores: India 328/6 in 50 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 126, Deepti Sharma 106 not out; Nomvelo Sibanda 2/38, Nyasha Gwanzura 1/43) beat Zimbabwe 207 all out in 48.5 overs (Modester Mupachikwa 49, Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano 46; Vaishnavi Sharma 4/39, Deepti Sharma 3/32) by 121 runs.
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