Harmanpreet Scores 126 as India Women Beat Zimbabwe by 121 Runs to Seal the ODI Series

India Women beat Zimbabwe Women by 121 runs in the second one day international at the Baroda Cricket Association Stadium in Kotambi, Vadodara, on Sunday. India scored 328 for 6 in their 50 overs, with Harmanpreet Kaur making 126 and Deepti Sharma finishing unbeaten on 106, and then bowled Zimbabwe out for 207 in 48.5 overs. The win gives India a 2-0 lead in the three match series, a lead Zimbabwe cannot now overturn with one match left to play.

India recover from a poor start

India won the toss and chose to bat, and the start went wrong at once. Smriti Mandhana was out for 0 and Shafali Verma for 8, both inside the first three overs, leaving India two wickets down with almost nothing on the board. The recovery came in two long partnerships. Harmanpreet and Pratika Rawal added 124 runs for the third wicket, with Rawal scoring 61 off 67 balls, and the innings settled. After Rawal went, Harmanpreet and Deepti added 153 runs for the fifth wicket, a stand that took the match away from Zimbabwe and carried India to a total that was always going to be hard to chase.

Harmanpreet scored 126 off 121 balls with 15 fours. Deepti was unbeaten on 106 off 86 balls, also with 15 fours. Between them, the two senior batters scored 232 of India's 328 runs, and they did it after the side had lost two wickets in the first three overs. A total of 328 for 6 set Zimbabwe a chase of 329 to level the series.

An eighth century for Harmanpreet

The innings was Harmanpreet's eighth century in one day internationals. The hundred moves her past Mithali Raj, who scored seven, on India's all time list, and leaves her behind only Smriti Mandhana, who has 14. The record came in an innings that could have ended early more than once. Harmanpreet was dropped three times during her 126, and Zimbabwe paid for every missed chance as the score kept climbing.

Speaking to broadcasters at the innings break, Harmanpreet said: "It wasn't easy conditions. Nowadays we play a lot of night games. After a long time playing under the sun, difficult conditions to bat in. After losing two wickets, Pratika and I had a very good partnership and then Deepti did the magic on the pitch." She was named player of the match.

Zimbabwe fall 121 runs short

Zimbabwe's chase never matched the target. Modester Mupachikwa scored 49, Chipo Mugeri Tiripano scored 46 and Beloved Biza scored 34, but no Zimbabwe batter reached fifty, and the innings ended at 207 in 48.5 overs, 121 runs short of India's total. Vaishnavi Sharma took 4 for 39 for India and Deepti Sharma took 3 for 32, completing a full match for Deepti with a hundred, an unbeaten finish and three wickets.

The result gives India the two Women's Championship points from the match, with Zimbabwe taking none. India lead the series 2-0 with the third match still to come, and the series is already decided. Zimbabwe's batters showed fight in the middle order, but a chase of 329 needed a century of their own, and none arrived.