Dominant India Eye Clean Sweep Against Zimbabwe in Final Women’s ODI

A dominant India will look to complete a 3-0 sweep of their first-ever bilateral women’s ODI series against Zimbabwe when the teams meet in the third and final match here on Wednesday.

India have already sealed the series with an unassailable 2-0 lead following comprehensive victories in the first two matches. The hosts will aim to extend their winning run after also registering a 3-0 sweep in the T20I series earlier this month.

India began the ODI series with a nine-wicket victory, powered by Pratika Rawal’s unbeaten 100 and Shree Charani’s four-wicket haul. In the second match, Harmanpreet Kaur scored 126 and Deepti Sharma remained unbeaten on 106 as India posted 328 for six. The bowlers then dismissed Zimbabwe for 207 to secure a 121-run victory and clinch the series with a game to spare.

Captain Smriti Mandhana will hope to finish the series with a substantial score after managing 32 runs in the opening match and falling for a duck in the second. Pratika has strengthened her claim for the opening position with a century followed by a fluent 61.

Shafali Verma has also adapted well to her new role at No. 3, smashing an unbeaten 64 off just 33 balls in the first ODI. However, Harmanpreet’s return to form has been one of the biggest positives for India.

The bowling unit has delivered consistently, with Shree Charani taking 4/23 in the opener and young left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma claiming four wickets in the second match. Deepti also contributed three wickets.

Zimbabwe, meanwhile, face a final opportunity to put up a stronger challenge. Their batters have struggled to build substantial partnerships against India’s varied bowling attack, while their bowlers will face another stern test against the hosts’ deep batting line-up.

The third ODI will begin at 2 pm IST on Today in Vadodara.