Harmanpreet Kaur slams eighth ODI century in IND-W vs ZIM-W, 2nd ODI making up for early loss

Walking in after India lost two early wickets, Harmanpreet Kaur continued her rich vein of form and struck a sensational century in Vadodara on Sunday. The former skipper, in partnership with Pratika Rawal and Deepti Sharma, wrestled back control of the proceedings.

The former skipper smashed 126 off 121 balls, including 15 boundaries, while vice-captain Deepti Sharma remained unbeaten on 106 off 86 deliveries, helping India set Zimbabwe a challenging target of 329 runs.It was Harmanpreet’s eighth ODI century, the second most by an Indian batter in Women’s ODIs behind Smriti Mandhana.

Harmanpreet walked in to bat after Indian captain Smriti Mandhana and Shefali Verma lost their wickets in for a duck in the opening over and eight run respectively. With the score at 19/2, the veteran got to work alongside Pratika Rawal and made use of the field restrictions with a counter-attacking batting display.

In an ominous display, Harmanpreet found boundaries with ease, threading gaps with precision. Alongside Rawal, she stitched together a 121-run partnership to pull India out of troubled waters. Rawal contributed 61 off 67 balls, hitting four boundaries and two sixes, before being dismissed in the 23rd over.

After Rawal and Tejal Hasabnis were dismissed in quick succession, Harmanpreet once again took charge of rebuilding the innings, this time alongside vice-captain Deepti Sharma. The left-right batting combination took India well past the 270-run mark with a century partnership of their own. The duo added 153 runs for the fifth wicket, taking India past the 300-run mark. Harmanpreet eventually departed for 126 in the 47th over, while Deepti completed her second ODI century in the final over.

India posted 328/6 in 50 overs, setting Zimbabwe a target of 329 runs.