Former India captain Harmanpreet Kaur once again stole the show with a commanding century against Zimbabwe at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara.
Ahead of the series, the BCCI officials held a meeting with Harmanpreet and following which she was replaced as captain. Smriti Mandhana was handed the baton. The veteran was asked to bat freely and since then, she has been a force to reckon with.
Harmanpreet , when she scored unbeaten 91 runs off 41 balls. She didn’t get a chance to bat in the first ODI, which India won by nine wickets, but in the second, the 37-year-old got going, completing her century in 101 balls. She paced her innings perfectly and despite India losing two early wickets of Mandhana and Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet didn’t change her approach.
She had great support from opener Pratika Rawal. The 26-year-old scored a century in the previous game and this time around, she once again played a vital knock of 61 runs off 67 balls. After she departed to Nyasha Gwanzura in the 23rd over of the match, India were put slightly on the back foot as the hosts lost another one. Tejal Hasabnis, who featured at number five, departed for three runs as India were reduced to 148/4.
Harmanpreet, Deepti bail India
After losing two quick wickets, India needed a strong partnership. That’s exactly what Harmanpreet and Deepti Sharma offered. Their partnership helped India cross the 300-run mark, as the goal will be to touch 350 in the first innings.
Meanwhile, with the century, Harmanpreet surpassed Mithali Raj on the list of most centuries for India in ODI cricket. Mandhana tops the list with 14 tons to her name, while Harmanpreet now stands second with eight. Mithali has seven to her name.
Most ODI centuries for India:
| Player | Centuries |
| Smriti Mandhana | 14 |
| Harmanpreet Kaur | 08 |
| Mithali Raj | 07 |
| Punam Raut | 03 |
| Jemimah Rodrigues | 03 |
| Pratika Rawal | 03 |
Zimbabwe Women (Playing XI): Modester Mupachikwa (wk), Loryn Phiri, Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano, Beloved Biza, Josephine Nkomo (c), Nyasha Gwanzura, Chiedza Dhururu, Michelle Mavunga, Nomvelo Sibanda, Tendai Makusha, Olinder Chare
India Women (Playing XI): Pratika Rawal, Smriti Mandhana (c), Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Vaishnavi Sharma, Sayali Satghare, Shree Charani, Jintimani Kalita