Wednesday, 28 October 2026 — India Women beat Zimbabwe Women by 8 wickets in the 3rd ODI at BCA Stadium, Kotambi, Vadodara, on 28 October 2026. Zimbabwe Women, put in to bat after losing the toss, were held to 131 from 39.5 overs, and India Women reached the target of 132 in 17 overs with two wickets down. Shafali Verma's 51 from 26 balls and Pratika Rawal's unbeaten 59 did the damage in a chase that was never seriously threatened.
How the match unfolded
Zimbabwe Women batted first and scored at 3.29 an over. Modester Mupachikwa top-scored with 37 from 48 balls, with seven fours, before being stumped by Yastika Bhatia off Vaishnavi Sharma. Josephine Nkomo made 35 from 67 balls, caught by Jintimani Kalita off Kranti Gaud, and Chiedza Dhururu added 20 from 39 balls. Nyasha Gwanzura made 10 from 13 balls before being bowled by Vaishnavi Sharma. Vaishnavi Sharma finished with 5/39 from 10 overs, an economy of 3.90, and Sayali Satghare took 2/11 from 6 overs, an economy of 1.83. Kranti Gaud added 2/23 from 7 overs.
India Women's reply was much faster, at 7.82 an over. Shafali Verma hit six fours and three sixes in her 51 not out from 26 balls, a strike rate of 196. Pratika Rawal was unbeaten on 59 from 56 balls, with four fours and three sixes. Harleen Deol made 19 from 19 balls before being caught by Mupachikwa off Loryn Phiri, and Yastika Bhatia was out for 0, caught by Francisca Chipare off Nomvelo Sibanda. Phiri (1/28) and Sibanda (1/18) were the only Zimbabwe bowlers to take a wicket among the top order.
The turning point
The ball-by-ball record is incomplete for some innings, so the scorecard cannot place a single over as the decisive moment. The clearest difference is in the numbers. Zimbabwe Women's innings never rose above 3.29 an over, while India Women scored at 7.82 an over, with Shafali Verma's 51 from 26 balls setting the tempo.
Where India Women won it
India Women's bowling set the platform. Vaishnavi Sharma's 5/39 removed four of the top batters and kept Zimbabwe Women's total well short of a competitive score. Satghare's economy of 1.83 and Deepti Sharma's 0/12 from 6.5 overs added to the pressure, and Gaud's 2/23 took two wickets at a steady rate. Zimbabwe Women's innings was built on 37 and 35, and none of the top four passed 40 or hit a six, which left little for the chase to worry about. With the ball and in the chase, India Women had more answers.
Where Zimbabwe Women went wrong
Zimbabwe Women's batting lacked a partnership that could push the total past 150. The top four made 102 between them, but their scoring rate of 3.29 per over left them with a total India Women could chase in less than 18 overs. The bowling also struggled for control at times: Phiri conceded 28 runs from 3 overs at 9.33, and Olinder Chare, Chipare and Beloved Biza each went at more than 6 an over. The gap between the two sides was not in effort but in the rate at which runs came, and India Women scored more than twice as fast.
Standout performers
- Vaishnavi Sharma: 5/39 from 10 overs, economy 3.90, the decisive bowling performance of the match.
- Shafali Verma: 51 not out from 26 balls, strike rate 196, with six fours and three sixes.
- Pratika Rawal: 59 not out from 56 balls, unbeaten through the chase.
- Sayali Satghare: 2/11 from 6 overs, economy 1.83.
- Modester Mupachikwa: 37 from 48 balls, the top score for Zimbabwe Women.