India Seal 3-0 Series Win as Vaishnavi Sharma Takes Five
New Delhi, October 29: India completed a 3-0 whitewash of Zimbabwe in Vadodara on Wednesday, with spinner Vaishnavi Sharma producing a career-best five-wicket haul in the final ODI. India won the match by 8 wickets, and Vaishnavi's performance was the highlight of the series decider.
In a video shared by the BCCI on social media, the 20-year-old left-arm spinner explained how she calmed her nerves and used her India A experience to prepare for the big stage. She also credited the constant support of her teammates for helping her through a difficult, emotional spell.
"Getting five wickets is a completely different feeling. When you work hard and then take five wickets on the field, it feels amazing. My return to the side felt very good, but I was really nervous. On the first day of the ODI series I was very tense. I sat out the first match. I understood the situation and thought about what I had to do."
Vaishnavi said her anxiety returned before the second match, when she was given another opportunity. "I was thinking about what the batters were doing and what I could do. I could not sleep well that night. I kept thinking about many things and asking myself what I needed to do. In the end I calmed myself on the field, controlled my nerves and showed my game. I just told myself to enjoy it."
In the third ODI, she made full use of her chance. Her figures of 5 for 39 from 10 overs were the main reason Zimbabwe were bowled out for 131. Vaishnavi also spoke about her time with India A, saying regular wicket-taking there had helped her face international challenges and gave her a much-needed confidence boost.
"I had a great Australia A series, taking six wickets once and four wickets another time. I finished as the leading wicket-taker in that series, which gave me a lot of confidence and I carried it forward. After talking to the coaches, we made a plan, and we only had to apply it on the field."
The wait for the fifth wicket, she said, was an emotional challenge. As the innings wound down, she worried she might fall short of the landmark. "The wait for the fifth wicket was very stressful. I kept thinking, when will this wicket come? When one over was left, with six balls remaining, I decided that if I got a wicket it would be great, and otherwise I would bowl calmly, finish my spell and complete the job."
She praised her teammates for their encouragement. "Deepti, Shafali, Smriti, Harmanpreet and Harleen were all motivating me. Everyone was supporting me, and I enjoyed it a lot. While counting the wickets, I kept looking at their faces. After my fourth wicket, when I could not pick up another for a while, everyone laughed at every ball I bowled. On the last ball they told me to pray to every god for one wicket. Then a miracle happened. The batter tried a sweep, but the ball missed the pad and hit the stumps. Thank you, God."