India captain Smriti Mandhana heaped praise on Harmanpreet Kaur, Pratika Rawal, and Deepti Sharma after the trio engineered a stunning recovery from 19/2 to hand India a 121-run victory over Zimbabwe in the second women's ODI at the BCA Stadium, Vadodara on 25 October 2026. The result gives India an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Key Developments

With both Mandhana and Shafali Verma back in the pavilion inside the first three overs, India were in early trouble. Harmanpreet and Pratika (61) steadied the innings with a 124-run partnership for the third wicket. The innings then exploded when Harmanpreet (126) and Deepti (106 not out) combined for a record 153-run fifth-wicket stand, lifting India to an imposing 328/6.

Mandhana Lauds the Rescue Act

'Today's biggest positive, from 19/2, to get 300-plus — credit to Harman, Pratika, and Deepti the way they batted. Was brilliant to watch,' Mandhana said at the post-match presentation.

The India skipper reserved special recognition for Deepti, who struck her second ODI hundred, noting that the all-rounder's batting position frequently limits her chances to play long innings. 'She has been batting brilliantly. Even in the ODI World Cup, she had a lot of match-winning knocks for us. Unfortunately her number is such that she doesn't get long overs, but really happy the way she went about it today and got her hundred,' Mandhana said.

Vaishnavi Sharma's Maiden Four-Wicket Haul

With the ball, left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma claimed her maiden four-wicket haul in international cricket. Mandhana praised her variations: 'Vaishnavi was brilliant, she was varying her pace and changing the angles. She knows her game very well which is always good to have as a captain. And the other bowlers chipped in as well.'

Mandhana also noted the strategic value of rotating bowlers in white-ball cricket, adding that the depth in India's bowling attack allows them to consistently hit good areas without letting batters settle.

Zimbabwe's Positives Despite Heavy Defeat

Mandhana was generous in acknowledging Zimbabwe's fielding effort. 'Zimbabwe were brilliant in the field and they stopped nearly 20-30 runs, especially in the point area... I don't think they've dropped any catch in the last two series which is very nice. Good signs for women's cricket in general,' she said.

Zimbabwe captain Josephine Nkomo, who briefly left the field during India's innings after a diving stop, conceded she was carrying niggles but pointed to bowling improvements. 'Today we bowled well in the powerplay, some decent lines, way better than the last game. Our death bowling today was a bit spot on, which is a positive,' she said.

Nkomo felt her batters — including Modester Mupachikwa (49) and Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano (46) — wasted promising starts. 'We had starts, we just failed to convert. I thought we were a bit tentative when we got into the 40s,' she acknowledged. Despite the series being beyond Zimbabwe's reach, Nkomo vowed to fight hard in the third ODI on Wednesday: 'We don't have anything to lose and we should go on and fight till the last ball.'

What This Series Win Means

The victory is notable as it marks Smriti Mandhana's first ODI series win as India's full-time captain. The series has also served as a platform for Deepti's continued emergence as a genuine all-round match-winner, with her batting contribution adding a new dimension to India's middle-order depth. The third and final ODI is scheduled for Wednesday in Vadodara.