Spin magic and explosive batting complete India's series sweep

India completed a dominant clean sweep over Zimbabwe in their three-match women's one-day international series on Wednesday. Left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma delivered an exceptional bowling performance by taking five wickets for 39 runs in her second game. Zimbabwe collapsed for a meager 131 runs. Indian batters chased the target down easily with eight wickets and 198 balls remaining. Pratika Rawal and Shafali Verma powered the run chase with rapid unbeaten half-centuries.

Zimbabwe batters struggle

Visiting players found run-scoring extremely difficult right from the start. Opening bowlers Kranti Gaud and Sayali Satghare maintained tight pressure during the initial overs. They forced the opposition to crawl to 30 for three in the opening ten overs. Loryn Phiri departed for a six-ball duck. Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano fell cheaply for four runs. Vaishnavi entered the attack and made an immediate impact by dismissing Beloved Biza. Modester Mupachikwa showed some resistance. She top-scored with 37 runs from 48 deliveries, finding the boundary seven times. However, the rest of the lineup failed to build partnerships.

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Spinners derail middle order

Vaishnavi consistently troubled the middle and lower order with her dipping deliveries. Chiedza Dhururu and Michelle Mavunga fell victim to her turn and flight. The young spinner completed her five-wicket haul when Nyasha Gwanzura edged the ball onto her stumps. Zimbabwe folded in exactly 40 overs. This series marked an important bilateral engagement for the visiting side on Indian soil, giving them valuable exposure against top-tier spin attacks.Indian openers lost Yastika Bhatia on the very first delivery. However, Pratika Rawal quickly stabilized the innings alongside Harleen Deol. Rawal played aggressive shots to score an unbeaten 59 from 56 balls. Deol contributed 19 runs before falling caught behind. Shafali Verma then arrived at number four. She unleashed tremendous power, hitting five boundaries early in her innings. Verma rushed to 51 not out in just 26 deliveries. Her three huge sixes sealed the chase in rapid time. This dominant victory finalized a complete 3-0 series result for the home side.

Image Courtesy: BCCI/Women