Vaishnavi's Five-Wicket Spell Powers India to Clean Sweep

Shafali Verma ended the chase by dancing down the pitch and sending the ball over the boundary for six. India Women needed only 132 runs, and the shot brought Verma her half-century and an eight-wicket win over Zimbabwe in Vadodara on Wednesday. India reached 133 for two in just 17 overs, completing a 3-0 sweep of the ODI series. ^1,2

Vaishnavi Sharma made the easy finish possible. The 20-year-old left-arm spinner took five wickets for 39 runs in 10 overs, her first five-wicket haul in an ODI, as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 131 in 39.5 overs. India’s fast bowlers Sayali Satghare and Kranti Gaud took two wickets apiece, helping make early strikes before Vaishnavi worked through the middle and lower order. Pratika Rawal stayed unbeaten on 59, while Verma hit 51 not out from 26 balls. ^3,4

The 17-over chase came after India changed their batting order to give Yastika Bhatia and Harleen Deol a chance in the middle. Bhatia fell for a first-ball duck, and Deol made 19 before being caught. Rawal steadied the innings, then Verma’s quick scoring took the pressure off. The result also capped India’s first bilateral ODI series against Zimbabwe, after India had won the preceding T20 series 3-0. ^1,4

The first series ended with a clear gap in results, but it also gave Zimbabwe six matches against a strong opponent and international experience. Vaishnavi, playing only her third ODI, became the second-youngest Indian woman to take five wickets in an ODI innings, at 20 years and 314 days. India leave the series with a clean sweep, while Zimbabwe’s tour ends after the final ODI. ^3,4