Vaishnavi Sharma takes 5-39 as Zimbabwe are bowled out for 131 in Vadodara

Vaishnavi Sharma took five wickets in an international innings for the first time as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 131 in Vadodara, leaving India 132 to win and a 3-0 sweep

The 20-year-old left-arm spinner finished with 5-39 from her ten overs at the Kotambi Stadium, where Zimbabwe chose to bat and were dismissed in 39.5 overs on Wednesday.

Zimbabwe had climbed out of 25 for 3 to reach 95 for 5 in the 28th over, only to lose their last five wickets for 36 runs. Kranti Gaud took 2-23 and Sayali Satghare 2-11, and the tenth wicket was a run out.

India had already won the series in Smriti Mandhana's first assignment as ODI captain, taking the first match by nine wickets and the second by 121 runs. A target of 132 is all that stands between them and a clean sweep.

A start Zimbabwe could not build on

Loryn Phiri was caught behind by Yastika Bhatia off Sayali Satghare in the second over, and Zimbabwe were six for one inside two overs.

Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano made 4 before Kranti Gaud had her caught by Shafali Verma in the third over, and the slide continued when Beloved Biza, who had laboured to 1 from 16 balls, was caught by Harmanpreet Kaur off Vaishnavi Sharma in the tenth.

At 25 for 3 inside ten overs, a total Zimbabwe could bowl at looked a long way off.

Mupachikwa and Nkomo rebuild

Modester Mupachikwa counter-attacked for 37 from 48 balls with seven fours, until Vaishnavi drew her out of her ground and Bhatia completed the stumping at 52 for 4 in the 16th over.

Josephine Nkomo, the captain, and Chiedza Dhururu then put on 43 for the fifth wicket, the longest partnership of the innings and the only one to last more than ten overs.

Dhururu survived an lbw decision off Vaishnavi on review in the 26th over but fell two overs later for 20 from 39 balls, caught by Jintimani Kalita, and the rebuild ended there.

Five wickets for Vaishnavi Sharma

Vaishnavi bowled her ten overs straight through for 39 runs, one of them a maiden, and took the wickets of Biza, Mupachikwa, Dhururu, Michelle Mavunga — caught by Harleen Deol for 6 — and Nyasha Gwanzura, bowled for 10.

Her previous best in international cricket was the 4-39 she took in the second ODI three days earlier, a maiden four-wicket haul, so Wednesday's spell is the first time she has taken five in an innings for India.

The Madhya Pradesh spinner made her ODI debut against Australia in February and was the leading wicket-taker in India's Under-19 T20 World Cup win in 2025, where she became the first Indian bowler to take a hat-trick at the tournament.

She came into the side for the second match of the series in place of the rested Gaud and has kept her place, taking nine wickets in two matches at the ground.

Gaud and Satghare finish the innings

Nkomo's 67-ball 35 ended at 119 for 7 in the 34th over, caught by Kalita off Gaud, and Gwanzura followed an over later.

Satghare bowled Olinder Chare for 0 to make it 125 for 9, and Nomvelo Sibanda was run out by Kalita and Bhatia for 3 to close the innings at 131 in the 40th over. Francisca Chipare was left unbeaten on 4.

Deepti Sharma conceded 12 runs from 6.5 overs without a wicket, Shafali Verma 17 from four and Kalita 27 from six. Zimbabwe's extras totalled 11.

India chase a clean sweep

India's win in the second ODI was built on 126 from Harmanpreet Kaur and 106 not out from Deepti Sharma in a total of 328 for 6, with Vaishnavi's four wickets finishing the job.

This target asks for 2.64 an over across 50 overs, a rate India have had no trouble with in either of the first two matches.

Zimbabwe, who have not won on this tour, will need early wickets to make the last day of it a contest.

Scorecard: Zimbabwe Women 131 all out in 39.5 overs (Modester Mupachikwa 37, Josephine Nkomo 35; Vaishnavi Sharma 5-39, Kranti Gaud 2-23, Sayali Satghare 2-11); India Women need 132 to win.

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