Vadodara, October 2026 : India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and all-rounder Deepti Sharma struck magnificent centuries to help India recover from an early batting collapse and post an imposing 328/6 against Zimbabwe in the second women’s ODI at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara on Sunday. The duo shared a record-breaking partnership for the fifth wicket, putting India in a commanding position to secure the series with a match to spare.
After being asked to bat first, India suffered an early setback as openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma departed inside the first three overs. Zimbabwe pacer Nomvelo Sibanda dismissed Mandhana with a short delivery that the Indian opener pulled towards short third, where she was caught. Sibanda then removed Shafali, who scored eight, with a sharp catch taken at midwicket.
With India struggling at 19/2, Harmanpreet and Pratika Rawal stepped up to rebuild the innings. The pair added 124 runs for the third wicket, stabilising the innings and laying the foundation for a strong total.
Pratika played a confident knock of 61 off 67 deliveries, striking four boundaries and two sixes. She reached her half-century off 57 balls and displayed an aggressive approach against Zimbabwe’s spinners. However, Nyasha Gwanzura eventually ended the partnership when Pratika swept a delivery straight into the hands of the deep midwicket fielder in the 23rd over.
Tejal Hasabnis followed soon after, scoring just three before falling to leg-spinner Olinder Chare. India were once again under pressure, but Harmanpreet found a reliable partner in Deepti Sharma.
The Indian captain led the recovery with an authoritative innings of 126 off 121 balls, hitting 15 boundaries. Her strokeplay was particularly effective through the off side, with crisp drives and cuts keeping the scoreboard moving. Harmanpreet also benefited from several missed opportunities, being dropped three times during her innings.
She completed her eighth ODI century off 101 deliveries in the 41st over, sweeping Beloved Biza to the boundary. Her innings provided the platform for India to accelerate in the final overs.
At the other end, Deepti Sharma produced a superb counterattacking performance, finishing unbeaten on 106 off 86 balls. Her innings featured 15 boundaries, with the sweep shot proving particularly effective against Zimbabwe’s spinners. Deepti reached her half-century off just 37 deliveries before maintaining the pressure with a steady stream of boundaries.
She completed her second ODI century in the final over, reaching the milestone off 83 balls. The knock was reported as the fifth-fastest ODI century by an Indian women’s batter. Deepti also became the first Indian woman to score an ODI hundred while batting at number six or lower, surpassing Richa Ghosh’s previous benchmark of 94 against South Africa at the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup in Visakhapatnam.
Harmanpreet and Deepti added 153 runs in 137 balls for the fifth wicket, establishing India’s highest ODI partnership for the fifth wicket or lower. They surpassed the previous record of 122 runs shared by Sneh Rana and Pooja Vastrakar against Pakistan during the 2022 Women’s ODI World Cup.
Harmanpreet was eventually dismissed by Michelle Mavunga in the 47th over, ending a commanding innings that earned applause from her teammates. Richa Ghosh departed for seven soon afterwards, but Deepti ensured India finished strongly.
Zimbabwe’s fielding was also hampered by injuries to Tiripano and captain Josephine Nkomo during the innings.
India’s total of 328/6 puts Zimbabwe under considerable pressure in the second ODI, with Harmanpreet Kaur’s century and Deepti Sharma’s unbeaten hundred highlighting India’s batting depth and resilience.
Brief Scores: India 328/6 in 50 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 126, Deepti Sharma 106 not out; Nomvelo Sibanda 2/38, Nyasha Gwanzura 1/43) against Zimbabwe.
