Chandigarh, Oct. 26 -- Eight months away from the Indian women's cricket team could have dented Vaishnavi Sharma's confidence, but the young left-arm spinner chose to turn the setback into an opportunity to sharpen her skills. On her return to the ODI side, the 20-year-old from Gwalior made a telling statement, claiming four wickets against Zimbabwe to underline her growing promise.

While veteran batters Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma struck centuries in the second ODI of the three-match series in Vadodara, Vaishnavi grabbed the spotlight with figures of 4/39 in 10 overs. Her spell helped India dismiss Zimbabwe for 207 in 48.5 overs, securing a 121-run victory and an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

For Vaishnavi, the performanc...