First Indian ever! Deepti Sharma scripts history with century against Zimbabwe
Deepti Sharma scripted history with a magnificent unbeaten century against Zimbabwe in the second women's ODI in Vadodara on Sunday, becoming the first Indian woman to score an ODI hundred while batting at No. 6 or lower. The all-rounder struck an unbeaten 106 off 86 balls to surpass Richa Ghosh's previous record of 94 against South Africa in Visakhapatnam last year.Deepti's 83-ball century powers IndiaDeepti reached her century in 83 balls, making it one of the quickest ODI hundreds by an Indian woman.
Her knock featured 15 boundaries and helped India maintain the momentum in the closing stages of the innings.The century also placed Deepti among India's fastest ODI centurions, with only Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur having registered quicker hundredsQuickest ODI hundreds for India Women (by balls):50 balls – Smriti Mandhana vs Australia, Delhi, 202570 balls – Smriti Mandhana vs Ireland, Rajkot, 202577 balls – Smriti Mandhana vs Australia, Mullanpur, 202582 balls – Harmanpreet Kaur vs England, Chester-le-Street, 202583 balls – Deepti Sharma vs Zimbabwe, Vadodara, 2026*Deepti's effort was particularly significant given her position in the batting order.
Coming in lower down, she balanced the need to build an innings with the urgency to score quickly, finishing unbeaten to give India a strong total.Harmanpreet, Deepti set record partnershipDeepti's century was complemented by a superb 126 off 121 balls from Harmanpreet Kaur, who also reached a significant milestone during the innings. Harmanpreet's eighth ODI hundred took her past Mithali Raj's tally of seven, making her India's second-highest century-maker in women's ODIs behind Smriti Mandhana.The pair stitched together a 153-run partnership, setting a new Indian women's ODI record for the highest stand for the fifth wicket or lower.
They surpassed the previous record of 122 runs, shared by Sneh Rana and Pooja Vastrakar against Pakistan at the 2022 Women's World Cup.India eventually finished on 328/6, setting Zimbabwe a target of 329 in the second ODI.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.
