Vaishnawi, Rawal and Shafali star India to complete ODI series sweep of Zimbabwe

Brief Scores: India 133/2 (17 overs) beat Zimbabwe 131 all out (39.5 overs) by eight wickets to seal the ODI series 3-0.

Vaishnavi Sharma took five wickets before Pratika Rawal and Shafali Verma hit unbeaten half-centuries as India beat Zimbabwe by eight wickets in the third women’s ODI on Wednesday to complete the series 3-0.

Vaishnavi returned figures of 5 for 39 in 10 overs as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 131 in 39.5 overs. Rawal scored an unbeaten 59 off 56 balls while Shafali smashed 51 not out from just 26 deliveries to take India to 133 for 2 in 17 overs.

India vs. Zimbabwe 3rd Women’s ODI: HIGHLIGHTS

Playing only her third ODI, Vaishnavi continued her impressive start to international cricket. She took four wickets in the second ODI and was again an outstanding bowler, troubling the Zimbabwean batsmen with her flight and variations.

Modester Mupachikwa top scored for Zimbabwe with 37 off 48 balls but the visitors struggled to put together a partnership. Sayali Satghare gave India an early breakthrough when opener Loryn Phiri was caught behind leg.

Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano followed after cutting a delivery from Shafali straight to the fielder. Vaishnavi then took charge and dismissed Beloved Biza before getting the better of Mupachikwa.

The left-arm spinner spotted Mupachikwa step up and bowled the ball wider, leaving the batter stranded as keeper Yastika Bhatia completed the stumping. Vaishnavi picked up her fifth wicket on the last ball of her spell when Nyasha Gwanzura’s run attempt ended with the ball deflecting off her stump pads.

Kranti Gaud and Satghare took two wickets each as Zimbabwe failed to bat their full 50 overs.

RAWAL, SHAFALI FINISH THE WORK

India made a change at the top of the order as skipper Smriti Mandhana sent Yastika to open alongside Rawal. The move didn’t pay off as Yastika was caught mid on the first ball she faced attempting a cross shot.

However, Rawal kept the chase on track. After scoring 100 and 61 in the first two matches, she continued her brilliant run with another assured innings. She regularly found the gaps and brought up her 10th ODI half-century in her 30th appearance.

Shafali joined Rawal and wasted no time attacking Zimbabwe. As India raced towards the target, they hit the boundaries freely and scored 51 off 26 balls. Rawal remained unbeaten on 59 as the hosts ended the match with 33 overs to spare.

The win completed India’s clean sweep of the three-match ODI series following their 3-0 win in the T20 series. It was the first bilateral series between the two sides in women’s cricket.

Zimbabwe will take some experience from the tour but their batting has proved to be a persistent weakness across both formats. India, meanwhile, had another chance to give their players valuable time in the middle, with Vaishnavi’s bowling and Rawal’s consistency among the key positives of the ODI series.

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