India make five changes and promote Anushka Sharma to open in final T20I against Zimbabwe
India shuffle their batting order and introduce leg-spinner Prema Rawat, who concedes 36 runs in three overs, as Harmanpreet and Shafali guide them to 216 for seven.
India made multiple batting-order changes for the dead-rubber third T20I against Zimbabwe in Raipur, handing Anushka Sharma the opening slot alongside Shafali Verma and promoting Niki Prasad to number three. Captain Smriti Mandhana dropped herself down the order to create opportunities for other batters, while leg-spinner Prema Rawat replaced left-arm spinner N Sree Charani. Anushka Sharma made 28 before being caught at mid-wicket, and Prasad fell for nine after hitting one boundary. Shafali and Harmanpreet Kaur then added 84 for the third wicket, with Shafali reaching her second successive fifty before holing out for 69. Harmanpreet accelerated after a slow start, reaching her fifty off 25 balls and finishing unbeaten on 91 from 41 deliveries. Rawat conceded 36 runs in her first three overs before being removed from the attack as Zimbabwe's Sharne Mayers and Beloved Biza targeted her lengths. The changes gave fringe players exposure but left some of them with limited opportunities to impress ahead of the ODI series starting in Vadodara on Friday.