IND vs ZIM Women 3rd ODI: Vaishnavi Sharma’s fifer propels India to 3-0 series lead

Vaishnavi Sharma (BCCI Photo) India completed a 3-0 lead in the women’s ODI series against Zimbabwe after registering a convincing eight-wicket win in the third match on Wednesday.Young left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma took five wickets while Pratika Rawal and Shafali Verma scored unbeaten half-centuries to help India chase down a target of 132 in just 17 overs.The 20-year-old Vaishnavi, playing only her third ODI, put in an impressive performance as she took five wickets for 39 runs in her 10 overs. She also took four wickets in the second ODI, showing her growing influence at the international level.Vaishnavi troubled the Zimbabwe batsmen with her run and variations, forcing them into mistakes. Zimbabwe were bowled out for 131 in 39.5 overs, with opener Modester Mupachikwa top-scoring with 37 off 48 balls.India’s fast bowlers also contributed to the visitors’ collapse. Sayali Satghare batted first to dismiss opener Loryn Phiri while Shafali Verma removed Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano.Vaishnavi then took control and dismissed key batsmen, including Mupachikwa, who was stumped after stepping out of her crease. Kranti Gaud and Satghare picked up two wickets each to support the spinner.

Pratika and Shafali complete the chase

India’s chase suffered an early setback when Yastika Bhatia was caught at mid-off on the first ball she faced. However, Pratika kept the innings steady and continued her strong run in the series after scoring 100 and 61 in the first two matches.Pratika, who came in at number three, made an unbeaten 59 off 56 balls to register her 10th ODI half-century in her 30th match. Shafali joined her and accelerated the scoring with an aggressive display, smashing an unbeaten 51 off just 26 deliveries.The pair ensured that India reached the target comfortably without losing another wicket.India also won the previous T20 series 3-0, completing a clean sweep across both formats. The ODI series was the first bilateral women’s cricket series between India and Zimbabwe, giving the visitors valuable experience against a top international team. India made three changes to their playing XI for the final match, bringing in Harleen Deol, Yastika Bhatia and Kranti Gaud.