CHENNAI: Harmanpreet Kaur, former captain, and Deepti Sharma, newly named vice-captain, came together to smash centuries, helping India beat Zimbabwe and secure the three-match ODI series in Vadodara on Sunday.
Kaur hit 126 runs from 121 balls while Deepti scored an unbeaten 106 from 86 balls as the duo took India to 328/6 before Vaishnavi Sharma helped hosts dismissed Zimbabwe for 207 in the second ODI.
Coming into the contest, all eyes were on India's power-packed batting line-up and whether they would get to bat first. When Smriti Mandhana won the toss, she did just that, but hosts were not off to a good start. They lost both Mandhana and Shafali Verma early. Pratika Rawal, centurion from the first match, revived the innings with Kaur. Though the former got out for 61, and soon Tejal Hasabnis followed, Kaur and Deepti were not going to let the chance go.
From 148/4, they took India to 301/5 and by then Kaur had already reached her eighth ODI hundred - one she would savour for years to come. Having broken down after the 91 n.o in the third T20I last week, Kaur, who had to resign as captain after the Asian Games, once again relished doing what she does best. She took the innings deep and batted freely, picking up 15 boundaries. Though big sixes were missing, she did not mind it as the milestone eventually came.
For Deepti, meanwhile, it was about ending the nine-year wait to score her second ODI hundred. The all-rounder, who was recently named vice-captain, enjoyed the time out in her best format as she scored a breezy ton and remained unbeaten till the end.
Brief scores: India 328/6 in 50 ovs (Harmanpreet 128, Deepti 106 n.o, Pratika 61; Nomvelo Sibanda 2/38) bt Zimbabwe 207 in 48.5 ovs (Vaishnavi 4/39, Deepti 3/32).