With the fate of the series already decided (2-0) in favour of India, it was an opportunity for both sides to experiment and test their bench strength in the dead rubber on Tuesday, 20th October 2026, at Raipur.
India rested the left-arm spinner Shree Charani, opening up an opportunity for the leg-spinner Prema Rawat. The visitors made as many as three changes: Kudzai Chigora, Loryn Phiri, and Nomvelo Sibanda came into the side, replacing Michelle Mavunga, Francisca Chipare, and Olinder Chare in the starting 11 in the final game of the T20I leg of the series.
Harmanpreet Kaur unleashed fireworks to take India to 216/7
The Indian skipper Smriti Mandhana won the toss and opted to bat first. The home side tried out new combinations, giving some valuable game time to the middle-order batters. Anushka Sharma walked out to open the innings alongside Shafali Verma. The move worked out reasonably well as the pair got India off to a flying start with a 54-run opening stand. Nomvelo Sibanda broke the stand by sending Anushka Sharma (28 off 20 balls) back to the pavilion in the final over of the powerplay, providing the much-needed first breakthrough for Zimbabwe.
The 84-run stand for the 3rd wicket between Shafali Verma (69 off 37 balls) and former skipper Harmanpreet Kaur provided the impetus through the middle overs in the innings. It was followed by another quick-fire 28-run stand for the 4th wicket between the wicket-keeper batter Richa Ghosh (1 off 3 balls) and Harmanpreet Kaur, taking India to the 180-run mark. The former Indian skipper stayed unbeaten on 91* (41 balls) as India posted 216/7 in their quota of 20 overs.
Beloved Biza (4-0-50-3), Nomvelo Sibanda (4-0-33-1) and Nyasha Gwanzura (2-0-15-1) were impressive with the ball for Zimbabwe.
Sharne Mayers and Beloved Biza put on a fight
Kranti Gaud pushed the visitors on the back foot by dismissing Kelis Ndhlovu for a duck on the first ball of the run chase. They were soon reduced to 12/2 in the 2nd over of the run chase. Beloved Biza joined Sharne Mayers at the crease, and the duo stitched a much-needed 82-run stand for the 3rd wicket, which also took them closer to the 100-run mark. One of the best things about the partnership was their refreshing intent to capitalise on the loose balls and score at a brisk rate.
The golden arm of Niki Prasad broke the stand by sending Sharne Mayers (60 off 49 balls) back to the pavilion in the 15th over of the innings to provide a crucial 3rd breakthrough for India. Beloved Biza (44 off 50 balls) continued with her positive approach, even as she lost partners at the other end. Zimbabwe were eventually restricted to 124/7 in their quota of 20 overs, falling 92 runs short of the target.
Nandani Sharma (4-0-18-3), Deepti Sharma (4-0-18-1), Niki Prasad (2-0-5-1), and Kranti Gaud (3-0-19-1) were the top performers with the ball for India. Harmanpreet Kaur was awarded the Player of the Match for registering her 2nd highest 91* (41 balls) score in the T20I format. Her knock included 10 boundaries and 5 maximums, setting up a solid total as India completed a dominant series white-wash (3-0) by their highest margin of victory by runs (92 runs) in the format at home.
The new vice-captain, Shafali Verma, was awarded the Player of the Series for ending as the leading run-scorer of the series with 128 runs at a strike rate of 200 and an average of 42.66 in three innings, including a couple of half-centuries in 3 matches with the bat. She also chipped in with handy overs of off-spin with the ball for her side in the series.
I am Yash Tailor, and I believe work should be driven by passion. Therefore, after completing my Engineering, I chose to work in the Cricket industry, my passion. My goal is to reach a stage where I truly enjoy what I do and give my best to every task with energy and purpose.