Vaishnavi Sharma’s five-for, Shafali Verma’s 26-ball fifty seal India’s 3-0 ODI sweep of Zimbabwe

India beat Zimbabwe by eight wickets in the third and final women’s ODI at Vadodara on Wednesday (28 October) to sweep the series 3-0. Left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma took 5 for 39 as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 131, and India got home in 17 overs with 198 balls to spare, ESPNcricinfo reported.

It was Zimbabwe’s first tour of India, Sportstar noted. India had already won the first two ODIs and had swept the T20I series 3-0 too, according to ESPNcricinfo.

Zimbabwe chose to bat but were 12 for 2 inside three overs against Kranti Gaud and Sayali Satghare. The 20-year-old Vaishnavi, in only her second ODI for India, then ran through the middle order for her first five-wicket haul in the format, ESPNcricinfo reported. Opener Modester Mupachikwa top-scored with 37 off 48 balls, and Zimbabwe faced 193 dot balls in 237 deliveries, according to Sportstar.

The chase was over almost before it began. Pratika Rawal made 59 not out off 56 balls, while Shafali Verma, batting at No. 4 for the first time in her career, smashed an unbeaten 51 off 26. She hit five boundaries off her first 13 balls and finished the match with her third six, which gave her the second-fastest ODI fifty by an India women’s batter, ESPNcricinfo reported.

Pratika Rawal was named Player of the Series for her 220 runs, which included a century and two fifties, the BCCI said.

India also used the dead rubber to try new combinations. Wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia played her first ODI in two years but was out first ball, and Harleen Deol played her first game of the series. Captain Smriti Mandhana did not need to bat.

Earlier this month, Harmanpreet Kaur’s unbeaten 91 led India to a 3-0 T20I sweep of Zimbabwe in Raipur, as The Indian Idiot reported.