Vaishnavi five-for, fifties from Pratika and Shafali help India sweep Zimbabwe 3-0 in ODI series

Zimbabwe opted to bat, hoping to sign off from India with an ambitious 250-run score, but it struggled to rotate strike and crumbled under the mounting dot ball pressure to eventually post a total of just 131.

Updated : Oct 28, 2026 19:07 IST , VADODARA - 3 MINS READ

India’s Pratika Rawal (right) and Shafali Verma (left) had an unbeaten 74-run stand to lead the side to an eight-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the 3rd ODI in Vadodara on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: CREIMAS for BCCI

Zimbabwe’s historic maiden tour of India ended on a sobering note for the Lady Chevrons, with Vaishnavi Sharma’s maiden five-wicket haul and fifties from Pratika Rawal and Shafali Verma, which scarily bordered on a net session, guiding India to a dominant eight-wicket win to complete a 3-0 series sweep in Vadodara on Wednesday.

People in Vadodara are simple. They like their food. They like their cricket. They particularly like their local heroes being involved in international fixtures. At the BCA Stadium, from the security personnel to the ground staff, one name was on everyone’s lips – Yastika Bhatia. After frustrating fans for two games, India finally fielded the keeper-batter, who, earlier in the summer, became the first woman to score a century at the hallowed turf of the Lord’s Cricket Ground – an inconsistent Richa Ghosh making way for her.

Yastika had a great afternoon behind the stumps, taking a catch and effecting a stumping and a run out each, in a fielding effort that restricted Zimbabwe to 131 in just 39.5 overs. Even more importantly, she was a sound mind for Smriti Mandhana to rely on for referrals.

This came hours after her signing with Brisbane Heat in the Women’s Big Bash League was announced. But she botched a perfect opportunity to make a statement with the bat, going grand but loose off the first ball of the innings, only to find the safe hands of Francisca Chipare at mid-on.

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Harleen Deol, who took Tejal Hasabnis’ place, was overshadowed by a fluent Pratika, and fell for a run-a-ball 15. Pratika and Shafali, visibly in a hurry, got the job done at T20 pace, with a six no less, with 33 overs to spare.

Earlier, Zimbabwe opted to bat, hoping to sign off from India with an ambitious 250-run score. Sayali Satghare and Kranti Gaud nipped those dreams in the bud, leaving the visitor stuttering at 12 for two at the end of the third over. Modester Mupachikwa resisted, but Vaishnavi’s left-arm spin then took over. She got four in the second ODI and did one better by clinching her maiden five-wicket haul, gobbling the Zimbabwe middle order.

Inexperience came to the fore as the visitor struggled to rotate strike and crumbled under the mounting dot ball pressure – a staggering 193 in 237 balls.

Smriti chose to go with Jintimani Kalita, Sayali and Kranti, looking to give seamers an extended rope to find their rhythm. It worked for Sayali, who looked the most settled she has been. Vaishnavi, funnily, registered India’s first no ball of the series and had a few going wide with the turn she managed to get on a slow track in Kotambi.

After a frenetic chase where India was almost itching to get the job done early and catch up with the Women’s Premier League auction that was underway at the same time, Smriti pushed Vaishnavi to lead the handshakes, bringing the curtains down on an important two weeks of cricket for the leadership group, which will now prepare for tougher bilateral and ICC assignments in the months to come.

Published on Oct 28, 2026

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