Deepti Sharma struck an unbeaten 106 off 86 balls at No. 6 against Zimbabwe in Vadodara, becoming the first Indian woman to score an ODI hundred at that position or lower. Her 153-run stand with Harmanpreet Kaur lifted India Women to 328 after an early top-order slump.
Match Context: India Recover From Early Trouble
India Women lost multiple top- and middle-order batters at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi. Harmanpreet Kaur held one end but needed a partner to build a competitive total.
Deepti walked in at No. 6 and changed the scoring pace. Pratika Rawat had earlier added a half-century, and the innings closed on 328.
Innings Snapshot
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Fours | Strike Rate |
|---|
| Harmanpreet Kaur | 126 | 121 | 15 | 104.13 |
| Deepti Sharma (not out) | 106 | 86 | 15 | 123.26 |
Together, the two centurions scored 232 of India's 328 runs, roughly 70.7 percent of the total. Both hit 15 fours, which accounted for 120 of those runs.
A Record Fifth-Wicket-or-Lower Partnership
The stand between Kaur and Deepti produced 153 runs. It is the highest partnership for the fifth wicket or lower in ODIs for India Women.
The partnership also had a clear division of roles. Deepti attacked, while Kaur rotated the strike through singles and twos.
Role Split Within the Stand
Deepti scored at 123.26 per 100 balls, while Kaur scored at 104.13. Both rates are above a run a ball, but the gap shows how Deepti set the tempo.
Kaur said at the innings break that her job was to take singles and keep giving strike while Deepti found boundaries. She also noted that the pitch was not a true wicket, which adds context to the scoring rate.
First Indian Woman With an ODI Hundred at No. 6 or Lower
Deepti's 106 is the first ODI century by an Indian woman at No. 6 or lower. Lower-middle-order hundreds are rare in the women's game, since batters in these slots often have fewer overs to build an innings.
Her innings was also among the quicker ODI hundreds for India Women. She reached three figures in 83 balls and finished on 106 from 86 deliveries.
Boundary Dependence
Fifteen fours produced 60 of Deepti's 106 runs, or about 56.6 percent. The remaining 46 runs came from singles, twos and threes, which shows she also ran hard between the wickets.
Quickest ODI Hundreds for India Women
Deepti's century ranks fifth on the list of the quickest ODI hundreds for India Women, measured by balls faced. It was one ball slower than Harmanpreet Kaur's 82-ball century against England at Chester-le-Street.
| Rank | Batter | Balls | Opposition and Venue | Year |
|---|
| 1 | Smriti Mandhana | 50 | vs Australia, Delhi | 2025 |
| 2 | Smriti Mandhana | 70 | vs Ireland, Rajkot | 2025 |
| 3 | Smriti Mandhana | 77 | vs Australia, Mullanpur | 2025 |
| 4 | Harmanpreet Kaur | 82 | vs England, Chester-le-Street | Not specified |
| 5 | Deepti Sharma | 83 | vs Zimbabwe, Vadodara | 2026 |
Smriti Mandhana holds three of the top three places. Her 50-ball hundred is 33 balls faster than Deepti's.
Historical Comparison
Deepti's innings is the only one in the top five from a batter at No. 6 or lower. That adds weight to a century that came after the top order had faltered.
What the Numbers Indicate
India's 328 was built on two centuries and a half-century, with a clear structure. Rawat and Kaur stabilised the innings after the early wickets, and Deepti then accelerated.
The data points to two trends. India Women are finding match-defining runs from the lower middle order, and Kaur's anchoring role is allowing aggressive partners to play freely.
Key Takeaways
- Deepti Sharma: 106 not out off 86 balls, strike rate 123.26.
- Harmanpreet Kaur: 126 off 121 balls, with 15 fours.
- Partnership: 153 runs, India's highest for the fifth wicket or lower in ODIs.
- Team total: 328, with 232 runs from the two centurions.
The innings gives India Women a measurable template for recovering from early losses. A single lower-order hundred does not make a trend, but it extends the list of batters who can finish an innings in the 80-to-90-ball range.