Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], October 20 (ANI): Harmanpreet Kaur's unbeaten 91, Shafali Verma's explosive 69 and all-round bowling performance powered India to a 92-run victory over Zimbabwe in the third and final women's T20I, held at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur on Tuesday, helping the hosts complete a 3-0 series sweep.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, India posted a formidable 216/7 in 20 overs, with Harmanpreet and Shafali leading the charge. In reply, Zimbabwe could manage only 124/7 in their allotted 20 overs. India's bowlers maintained control and restricted the visitors to secure a comprehensive victory.

https://x.com/BCCIWomen/status/2112591138079334666?s=20

Shafali gave India an aggressive start, scoring 69 off 37 balls with six fours and five sixes. She shared an opening stand of 54 runs with Anushka Sharma, who contributed 28 off 20 deliveries, including four fours and a six. Anushka was dismissed by Nomvelo Sibanda in the sixth over, while Niki Prasad fell for nine off 12 balls to Nyasha Gwanzura, leaving India at 68/2.

Harmanpreet then joined Shafali and added 84 runs for the third wicket, taking the attack to the Zimbabwe bowlers. Shafali's innings ended at 152/3 in the 15th over when she was caught by Tendai Makusha off Beloved Biza. The former India skipper, however, continued to accelerate and struck an unbeaten 91 off just 41 deliveries, hitting 10 fours and five sixes at a strike rate of 221.95.

India lost a few wickets in the closing overs, with Richa Ghosh scoring one, Deepti Sharma departing without scoring, and Arundhati Reddy making four. Prema Rawat also scored four before being run out, but Harmanpreet's late hitting ensured India crossed the 200-run mark and finished at 216/7. Beloved Biza was Zimbabwe's most successful bowler, claiming three wickets for 50 runs in four overs, while Sibanda, Gwanzura and Tendai Makusha took one wicket each.

In reply, Zimbabwe suffered an early setback when Kelis Ndhlovu was dismissed for a first-ball duck by Kranti Gaud. Modester Mupachikwa followed soon after for one, caught by Richa Ghosh off Nandani Sharma, leaving the visitors struggling at 12/2. Sharne Mayers and Beloved Biza attempted to rebuild the innings, but the required run rate continued to climb as India kept the scoring in check.

Biza top-scored for Zimbabwe with 44 off 50 balls, hitting five fours, while the visitors finished at 124/7 in 20 overs. Nandani Sharma led India's bowling effort with three wickets for 18 runs, while Deepti Sharma also claimed a wicket. India's disciplined bowling performance ensured Zimbabwe remained well short of the target.

With the victory, India completed a 3-0 clean sweep, having won the first two T20Is as well. The 92-run margin was also India's biggest victory by runs at home in women's T20 internationals, capping a dominant performance in the series. (ANI)