Harmanpreet Kaur was brutal and Deepti Sharma sublime as their twin centuries headlined India’s commanding 121-run victory over Zimbabwe in the second women’s ODI on Sunday. India thus took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series after winning the first match by a comfortable nine-wicket margin. Having posted a formidable 328 for 6, the home team’s spinners, led by left-arm orthodox bowler Vaishnavi Sharma (4/32), bowled Zimbabwe out for a paltry 207 in 48.5 overs. After scoring her century, Deepti polished off the opposition tail with figures of 3 for 32.
Harmanpreet, whose second coming as a pure batter has been nothing short of breathtaking, struck 126 off 121 balls, laced with 15 well-timed boundaries. This was Harmanpreet’s eighth WODI century after she had struck a match-winning 91 in one of the WT20Is earlier on the tour. She had an able companion in Deepti, who remained unbeaten on 106 off 86 balls, with 15 hits to the fence. The former India captain shared a 153-run stand with all-rounder Deepti, who scored her century off 86 balls, as the two veterans took India to a commanding total.
Harmanpreet regaled a sizable crowd with her sublime play on the off side. Her copybook cover drives and cut shots were a delight to watch. It is the first time that India and Zimbabwe are playing a bilateral series, providing the visitors with an ideal opportunity to learn from a top side. India did not have the best of starts as Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma fell cheaply. Newly appointed captain Mandhana mistimed a pull in the first over of the game before Shafali was caught at midwicket, giving Nomvelo Sibanda her second wicket.
Pratika Rawal (61 off 67) and Harmanpreet forged a 124-run partnership to take the innings forward. Overall, she hit 15 boundaries. Modester Mupachikwa (49) and Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano (46) were the main contributors, but their efforts were not enough to make a difference.
The prolific Indian opener was caught at deep midwicket in the 23rd over. Tejal Hasabnis too failed to execute a slog sweep and was dismissed cheaply. Harmanpreet then owned the stage with her perfectly paced knock. She also had luck on her side, having been dropped thrice. It was Harmanpreet’s eighth ODI hundred, and she appears to be enjoying life without the extra responsibility of leading the side. India were not able to finish as well as they would have liked. India’s designated finisher, Richa Ghosh , did not last long, putting the brakes on the scoring. Deepti reached her second ODI hundred with a four towards square leg in the final over of the innings. Considering their struggles with the bat on the tour, Zimbabwe needed a major improvement to get close to India’s total. However, Vaishnavi, playing only her second WODI, bowled tight lines and picked up wickets in quick succession, leaving the opposition batters with little chance of chasing down the mammoth total.
