Zimbabwe Women vs India Women 3rd T20I Full Commentary

Welcome back for Zimbabwe's batting reply. They are chasing for the first time in this series, so let's see how they approach this mountain of runs. The Indian players spread out to the park and take their respective fielding spots. Kelis Ndhlovu and Sharne Mayers are the two Zimbabwean openers. They too, have shuffled their opening pair and have promoted two of their in-form batters up top. Kranti Gaud has the new ball in hand and is raring to go. Kelis is on strike. A slip in place. Off we go...

... The Run Chase ...

Indian Women's former skipper - Harmanpreet Kaur says it feels great and that she just wanted to enjoy being in the middle. Is pleased to get some time in the middle and is glad that she was able to stay till the end. She also credits WV Raman for his words of encouragement before the game. On her timing, Harmanpreet says she spent valuable time in the nets after the Asian Games and thanks the coaches for the hard work they have put in with her. She feels today's batting was largely down to that preparation, and states that she batted with plenty of freedom.

India sets a steep chase of 217 - With a final total of 216 runs on the board, India Women have firmly put themselves in the driver's seat at the halfway mark. Zimbabwe's bowlers struggled to find answers for India's depth, leaving their batters with a mountain to climb in the second innings. Beloved Biza was brilliant with the ball as she took 3 wickets, while getting support from others as well. Armed with momentum and a heavy run cushion, the Indian bowling unit will look to clinical execution to secure a comprehensive victory.

Verma dominates and Kaur roars back - The centerpiece of India’s batting effort was the explosive opening from Shafali Verma, who continued her sensational run of form by dismantling the opposition bowling. Alongside her, Harmanpreet Kaur silenced critics and rediscovered her touch with a masterful knock, providing the crucial middle-order anchor India needed by scoring at a rapid pace and playing a solid hand of 91 off just 41 balls. Their complementary styles deflated the Zimbabwean bowling attack and kept the scoreboard ticking at a rapid pace.

Smriti’s plan pays off big - Smriti Mandhana will be a thoroughly satisfied captain after her decision to bat first bore rich fruit, setting a formidable target for Zimbabwe Women. India's top order executed the blueprint perfectly on a pitch that demanded application, pacing their innings to perfection. Mandhana’s tactical choice to give some game time to Anushka and Niki Prasad at the top put Zimbabwe immediately under pressure, allowing India to dictate the tempo of the game right from the start.

Kranti Gaud is the next batter in.

The physio is out to check on Chigora, who seems to have hurt herself while taking the catch. Meanwhile, Prema Rawat is in at number 8.

Arundhati Reddy is the next batter in at number 7. Beloved Biza will bowl the penultimate over.

Deepti Sharma walks out to join hands with her former skipper.

Done with the first leg - The Smriti Mandhana era begins on a commanding note, with India completing a 3-0 clean sweep over Zimbabwe in her first series as full-time captain across all formats. She humbly accepts the trophy from one of the dignitaries before making her way to her teammates, who are waiting behind the WINNERS board for the captain to join them for the photographs. A lot of positives for the Women in Blue, but a plenty of learning for the Lady Chevrons who are on their first-ever trip to India. We now move to the three-match ODI series set to be exclusively played in Vadodara. The first ODI will be played on Friday, 23rd October, with the first ball scheduled to be bowled at 8.30 am GMT (2 pm IST). But our buildup begins in advance, so do mark your presence for that as well. From here, we sign off, only to meet again next time. Take care, CIAO!

The victorious captain of India Women - Smriti Mandhana is all smiles as she walks up for a chat with Anjum Chopra. She praises the batting effort, saying Anushka set the tone at the top before Shafali and Harmanpreet played their parts. She feels the bowlers executed their plans well, though admits there are still a few things the side can work on and will take back with them. On how the batters went about their business, Mandhana is pleased, noting that the middle order could not quite get going in the first match, and neither did the top order at times. She feels it is always good to have game time and some runs behind them. About the bowling, Mandhana says it is looking good, especially with the dew likely to play a big part as India approach the Champions Trophy. She is happy with the options available and pleased with how Niki and Shafali chipped in with overs. Looking ahead to the ODI series, Mandhana says the approach will be the same domination India showed across all three T20Is. She says that is what they have been speaking about in the dressing room and what they will look to do in Vadodara.

PLAYER OF THE SERIES - Shafali Verma takes home the award for her consistency with the bat. She scored 128 runs in three matches, including a couple of half-centuries, at an overall strike rate of exactly 200. She she is obviously very happy with the award, especially since it has come while performing well for the team. She is delighted that India are winning matches and that things are going their way. On maintaining consistency with the bat, Shafali says she has to keep working hard every day, think more about the game, and focus on performing in every match. She is enjoying her innings and trying to learn and improve with each one. On adding new dimensions to her batting, Shafali reveals she has worked on the shot against the spinners, something she did not play earlier. Improving footwork, she feels, has helped her time the ball better, and she is happy with that progress while aiming to get better day by day.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Harmanpreet Kaur wins the award for her swashbuckling and unbeaten 91 off just 41 balls, including ten fours and five sixes, at a strike rate of 221.95. She says she was really enjoying herself in the middle and just wants to go out there and enjoy her batting, so it feels good that things came off today. On her plans for the innings, Harmanpreet says hitting the first ball for four made her realise it was a good pitch with the ball coming on nicely to the bat. That shot gave her a lot of confidence, and she decided to keep going and see how it went. She credits her coaches for the work on her batting and fielding, saying he has been working hard with her and understands the kind of batting she can do. Says that every time they spend time in the nets, he wants her to simulate match pressure so that she does not feel any extra pressure when she goes out to play. She feels his tactics and ideas have worked really well. Kaur adds that her bat swing is the key and she has been feeling really well and confident in herself recently. Kaur closes by saying that she is just herself on the field without any sort of pressure.

The captain of Zimbabwe Women - Josephine Nkomo reflects on the defeat. She first mentions the improvements made compared to the previous two matches. Credits the likes of Beloved Biza and Sharne Mayers for staging a brilliant partnership in the middle and showing positive intent. On the bowling and fielding performances, Nkomo admits there is still a lot to learn and plenty to improve on, but hopes the team can get those things right heading into the ODIs. When she is asked about the team's adaptability to the conditions, she feels the bowlers were a bit slow to adjust, but believes they will understand the conditions better in the ODI series. She also expects the batting tracks in Vadodara to be similar to the ones on offer in Raipur.

The post-match Presentation...

Coach's word - Following a successful series, India Head Coach Amol Muzumdar expresses immense satisfaction with the team's performance and execution on the field as they prepare to head to Baroda (Vadodara). He highlights the impactful contributions of youngsters like Niki Prasad, who shows her class in the opening game, and Anushka, alongside a crucial innings from Harmanpreet Kaur. Emphasising the team's overarching philosophy, Muzumdar notes that the squad successfully translates their dressing room discussions into action, maintaining a ruthless and dominant brand of cricket throughout their recent T20 matches.

Shafali's fireworks, Harmanpreet's vintage show - India walked out with a fresh opening combination, Anushka Sharma joining Shafali Verma at the top, but the intent stayed unchanged. Shafali smashed a swashbuckling 50 to keep the scoreboard racing, while Anushka, promoted up the order, played a brisk hand of her own. Then came Harmanpreet, who began quietly before flipping the switch and hammering an unbeaten 91, clearing the ropes with ease and finding gaps at will. Zimbabwe's catching held up well, apart from a couple of spills, but their bowlers had no answer to India's batting onslaught.

Nandani, the wrecker in chief - India had enough runs on the board against a very inexperienced side, but they still needed to pick up wickets. Niki Prasad and Kranti Gaud struck early, though India went through a lean patch in the middle overs without adding to the tally. The return of Nandani Sharma, however, broke the back of the Zimbabwean innings, and she finished with three wickets. Arundhati, a touch more expensive than she would have liked, also chipped in with a wicket, as did Deepti, who was her usual economical self with a scalp to her name.

Improvements made, but not enough - Zimbabwe showed a slight uptick in their approach tonight. Yes, they lost two early wickets, but Biza and Mayers kept the scoreboard ticking with regular strike rotation. The boundary percentage was not great again, but the real positive was that they avoided losing wickets in clusters this time around. Eventually, it was Mayers who tried to shift gears and brought up a well-compiled fifty, surviving a couple of dropped chances along the way. But Niki Prasad broke the 82-run stand to keep India firmly on the front foot. Beloved Biza also played a fine knock of 44, but barring the two, none of the batter could cross double figures, which is still a worrying pattern for the tourists.

Too hot to handle - The Women in Blue once again came out on top in Raipur, outplaying the Lady Chevrons in every department. It was another one-sided contest, but Zimbabwe did show a bit more fight compared to their previous two outings. This is India's biggest T20I win by run margin at home, and it also extends their winning streak to 11 matches in the format, including the Asia Cup in the UAE and the Asian Games in Japan. A streak that seems unbreakable at the moment.

Nomvelo Sibanda is in at number 9 and will face the final ball of the match and the series.

Last 3 balls left. Tendai Makusha is the new batter in.

Just the last rites are being read here. Nandani Sharma (3-0-14-1) will bowl the final over of this T20I series in Raipur. Loryn Phiri is in at number 7.