Published: October 21, 2026
India Women defeated Zimbabwe Women by 92 runs in the third T20I in Raipur on October 20, completing a 3-0 series sweep. Harmanpreet Kaur led the batting with an unbeaten 91 off 41 balls, while Shafali Verma struck 69 off 37 deliveries.
India posted 216/7 before restricting Zimbabwe to 124/7. Nandani Sharma returned figures of 3/18 as the hosts finished the series with their largest victory of the three matches. Harmanpreet received the Player of the Match award, while Shafali earned Player of the Series honours.
Harmanpreet Kaur takes control with unbeaten 91
Harmanpreet’s innings gave India the acceleration they needed after a productive start. She struck 10 fours and five sixes, finishing with a strike rate of 221.95.
Her 84-run partnership with Shafali put Zimbabwe’s bowling under sustained pressure. After Shafali departed, Harmanpreet stayed until the end and helped India move beyond 200. The hosts scored 62 runs in the final five overs, even as four wickets fell during that period.
The innings also carried personal significance. Harmanpreet became emotional during an innings-break interview as she discussed her return to runs and acknowledged the support she had received through a difficult spell.
Shafali Verma gives India a strong start
With the series already decided, captain Smriti Mandhana changed the batting order. Anushka Sharma opened alongside Shafali and contributed 28 off 20 balls.
The pair added 54 for the first wicket. Shafali continued attacking after Anushka’s dismissal, hitting six fours and five sixes during her second successive half-century. Her 69 gave India a strong base for Harmanpreet’s late scoring.
India’s batting experiment produced mixed returns. Niki Prasad made nine after moving to number three, while Richa Ghosh scored one and Deepti Sharma fell without scoring. Beloved Biza took three wickets for Zimbabwe but conceded 50 runs in her four overs.
Nandani Sharma leads India’s bowling effort
Zimbabwe’s pursuit of 217 suffered an immediate setback. Kranti Gaud dismissed Kelis Ndhlovu with the first delivery, and Nandani removed Modester Mupachikwa to leave the visitors 12/2.
Sharne Mayers and Beloved Biza then added 82 for the third wicket. Mayers scored 60 off 49 balls, including four fours and four sixes, before Niki Prasad dismissed her. Biza contributed 44 from 50 deliveries, but Zimbabwe could not reach the required scoring rate.
Mandhana used seven bowlers during the innings. Nandani finished with three wickets, while Gaud, Prasad, Arundhati Reddy and Deepti took one each. Zimbabwe completed their 20 overs at 124/7.
India finish series strongly under Smriti Mandhana
The clean sweep followed two different challenges earlier in the series. India recovered from early batting trouble to win the opening T20I by four wickets, then claimed the second match by nine wickets.
The final result extended India’s winning run in women’s T20Is to 11 matches. It also gave Mandhana a successful opening series as permanent captain, with Harmanpreet’s return to runs, Shafali’s consistent scoring and Nandani’s wickets providing the main positives from the finale.
