A thunderous 91* off 41 from the bat of former Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur and a punishing 69 off 37 balls from Shafali Verma helped India seal a 92-run victory over Zimbabwe in the third T20I in Raipur on Tuesday, thereby sealing a 3-0 sweep of the series for the host.
India won the toss and opted to bat, the first time the side got to set a target in this series. Captain Smriti Mandhana opted to push herself down the order, with Anushka Sharma and Shafali Verma opening the batting for the host.
Zimbabwe fell well short of the target, managing 124 for seven in response. It was the visitor’s best total of the T20I leg.
The two teams will now head to Vadodara for a three-match ODI series starting on October 23.
Harmanpreet returned to form in style after a testing few weeks which saw her relinquish the India captaincy across formats. She has been struggling for consistent runs and her innings in Raipur will hopefully be the boost she needs to keep her place in the batting order safe.
While she took time to settle in, watching Shafali do the marauding, once in, Harmanpreet was unstoppable. Her unbeaten 91 featured 10 fours and five sixes.
Shafali’s consistency meanwhile earned her a second half-century on the trot. Her reliability at the top of the order eventually got her the Player of the Series award.
Anushka and Shafali shared a 54-run stand off 32 balls to set the tone for the innings.
“Feels great that I got some time in the middle. Just wanted to enjoy myself and bat as long as possible,” said Harmanpreet before breaking down in the middle of the interview during the innings break.
India smashed 62 runs in the last five overs with the loss of four wickets.
While the host decided to rest Sree Charani giving Prema Rawat a go in this fixture, Zimbabwe’s batters were no match for the lofty 217-run target set by India.
That didn’t mean they didn’t make a match of it. Sharne Mayers struck an incredible 49-ball 60 while Beloved Biza resisted with a 50-ball 44. But the visitors were never really in the fight.
India had a few blips in the field in this game as well, something the side will want to correct as it builds up towards a challenging tour of South Africa and the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy at home.
Published on Oct 20, 2026
