Vaishnavi five-for sealed India’s clean sweep of the women’s ODI series against Zimbabwe, as the hosts won the third and final match by eight wickets at Vadodara on Wednesday.
Vaishnavi Sharma took five wickets for 39 runs in her 10 overs at the Kotambi Stadium, earning the Player of the Match award. Her spell broke Zimbabwe’s batting and set up a short chase that India finished with 198 balls to spare.
The win completed a 3-0 series sweep. India had won the first two matches by nine wickets and 121 runs, and the finale followed the same pattern of dominance.
Vaishnavi five-for breaks Zimbabwe’s innings
Zimbabwe captain Josephine Nkomo chose to bat first, but the decision backfired. The visitors were bowled out for 131 in 39.5 overs.
Vaishnavi led the attack, while Sayali Satghare and Kranti Gaud took two wickets each. Only four Zimbabwe batters reached double figures against a disciplined Indian bowling unit.
Opener Modester Mupachikwa top-scored with 37 off 48 balls. Nkomo made 35 off 67 balls. Chiedza Dhururu added 20 and Nyasha Gwanzura made 10, but no partnership grew long enough to lift Zimbabwe past a modest total.
Rawal and Shafali finish the chase
India lost opener Yastika Bhatia on the first ball of the chase, but the setback lasted only a few overs. Pratika Rawal and Harleen Deol steadied the innings with a 59-run stand for the second wicket.
Loryn Phiri broke that stand in the ninth over, removing Deol for a run-a-ball 19. Shafali Verma then joined Rawal, and the pair added 74 runs for the third wicket to take India home.
Rawal top-scored with an unbeaten 59 off 56 balls, hitting four fours and three sixes. Shafali made a brisk 51 off 26 balls, with six fours and three sixes. Both batters reached their half-centuries during the stand.
For Zimbabwe, Nomvelo Sibanda and Phiri took one wicket each. India reached the 132-run target with only two wickets down.
Why the sweep matters
The sweep matters because of how it was achieved. India won by three different routes across the series: nine wickets, 121 runs, and now eight wickets built on a five-wicket haul from a young bowler leading the attack.
For Zimbabwe, the series showed the gap between the sides. Their best batting effort in the finale came from Mupachikwa’s patient 37, but the innings never built the partnerships needed to set a testing total.
For India, the series gave game time to bowlers and batters alike. Vaishnavi’s five-for was the standout bowling display of the finale, while Rawal’s unbeaten fifty and Shafali’s rapid fifty showed the depth of India’s batting order. Feature Pakistan earlier reported on Pakistan’s women’s squad for the Emerging Nations Trophy, a reminder of the women’s fixtures shaping the region’s calendar alongside this series.
The result also closes the home series on a high for India, who dominated from the first match to the last without ever letting Zimbabwe into a contest.
How the series unfolded
India’s control never slipped across the three matches. The hosts won the opener by nine wickets, a margin that showed how comfortably they chased. They then won the second match by 121 runs, a margin built on batting depth and scoreboard pressure.
The finale added a third kind of win: a bowling-led victory. Vaishnavi’s five-for removed Zimbabwe’s top order threat before it could settle, and the chase that followed was finished with more than half the overs unused.
That variety is the most useful part of the sweep for India. A side that can win by chasing, by defending a total, and by bowling a team out cheaply has more than one way to close out a match.
Frequently asked questions
What were Vaishnavi Sharma’s figures?
Vaishnavi Sharma took five wickets for 39 runs in 10 overs and was named Player of the Match.
What was Zimbabwe’s total in the third ODI?
Zimbabwe were bowled out for 131 in 39.5 overs after captain Josephine Nkomo chose to bat first.
How did India win the series?
India won the three-match home series 3-0, by nine wickets, 121 runs, and eight wickets in the finale at Vadodara.
