India women beat Zimbabwe by 121 runs to seal the ODI series 2-0 as Harmanpreet and Deepti hit centuries

India won the toss and chose to bat, and the start was poor. Smriti Mandhana was out for a duck in the first over, caught off Nomvelo Sibanda, and Shafali Verma went at 19 for 2. Pratika Rawal then made 61 off 67 balls with four fours and two sixes, and she and Harmanpreet Kaur added about 124 for the third wicket before Rawal was caught at deep midwicket off Nyasha Gwanzura in the 23rd over. Tejal Hasabnis went soon after, and India were 148 for 4 in the 24th over.

Harmanpreet, who had reached her half-century off 51 balls, survived three dropped chances on the way to her eighth ODI century. She hit 15 fours and was caught by a substitute fielder at long-off off Michelle Mavunga in the 47th over.

Deepti's hundred

Deepti Sharma came in at 148 for 4 and the two of them put on 153 for the fifth wicket, which is India women's highest partnership for the fifth wicket or lower in ODIs. Deepti reached her hundred in 83 balls, the fifth-fastest ODI century by an Indian woman, and she became the first Indian woman to score an ODI hundred at number six or lower. It was her second ODI century, and she finished unbeaten on 106 off 86 with 15 fours. India scored 328 for 6, with Richa Ghosh out for 7 in the 49th over and Sayali Satghare unbeaten on 3.

Chasing 329, Zimbabwe started steadily and were 35 for no wicket at the end of the powerplay, with Mupachikwa batting aggressively. Phiri, however, took 23 balls to make her 6, a strike rate of 26, and her wicket to Sree Charani at 38 for 1 in the ninth over was the first of the innings. The target was always far away, and the required rate had passed seven an over before the first hundred was on the board. Modester Mupachikwa and Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano both batted well, and Loryn Phiri fell to Sree Charani at 38 for 1. The score was 107 for 2 when Mugeri-Tiripano was bowled by Satghare for 46, and Mupachikwa, who made 49, went at 120 for 3.

The innings then fell away against spin. Vaishnavi Sharma, who was playing her second ODI, took four wickets for 39 runs in her full quota of 10 overs, including one maiden, and had Beloved Biza and Josephine Nkomo caught in front of the wicket. Deepti took three for 32, taking out Gwanzura, Sibanda and Makusha in the space of a few balls at the end. Zimbabwe lost their last seven wickets for 87 runs, and the last of them fell at 207 in the 49th over.

India played Rawal, Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet, Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti, Richa Ghosh, Vaishnavi Sharma, Sayali Satghare, Sree Charani and Jintimani Kalita. Harleen Deol, Kranti Gaud, Yastika Bhatia and Nandani Sharma were in the squad but not in the eleven, and Harleen came on as a substitute fielder and took three catches. Zimbabwe, led by Josephine Nkomo, played Mupachikwa, Phiri, Mugeri-Tiripano, Biza, Nkomo, Gwanzura, Chiedza Dhururu, Mavunga, Sibanda, Makusha and Olinder Chare.

Zimbabwe's bowlers were expensive at the end. Tendai Makusha and Michelle Mavunga bowled their full quota of 10 overs each, Makusha for 71 and Mavunga for 47, and Mavunga, with 1 for 47, was the most economical of the regular bowlers, at 4.7 an over.

India had won the first ODI by nine wickets, bowling Zimbabwe out for 197, so the win in Vadodara settled the series with one match to play. It was also Smriti Mandhana's first series win as full-time ODI captain. Harmanpreet was named Player of the Match. The third and last ODI is on Wednesday, 28 October.