The Indian women’s cricket team defeated Sri Lanka by 8 wickets in the third match to clinch the five-match series 3-0 at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. The contest
followed a familiar script, with India first restricting Sri Lanka to a modest total before easily overhauling the target.
Renuka Singh Thakur made a stellar comeback as Deepti Sharma equalled the record for the highest wicket-taker in women’s T20Is, helping India limit Sri Lanka to 112/7. Shafali Verma smashed an unbeaten 79 to take India home with 40 deliveries to spare.
India Vs Sri Lanka Women: 3rd T20I – Highlights
How India Beat Sri Lanka In 3rd T20I?
Playing her first T20I since December last year, Renuka did what she does best with the new ball, rattling the Sri Lankan top order and swinging the momentum decisively in India’s favour.
The ever-reliable Deepti (3/18) provided excellent support with timely breakthroughs and also joined Australia’s Megan Schutt as the highest wicket-taker in women’s T20Is, claiming her 151st scalp in the format.
Chasing the modest target, the big-hitting Shafali picked up from where she had left off in the previous match, going all guns blazing to register her second consecutive half-century.
After facing three dot balls, the explosive opener danced down the track to clobber a towering 83-metre six over long-off, following it up with back-to-back boundaries through midwicket and mid-off.
Timing the ball to perfection, she punished the Sri Lankan bowlers with an entertaining knock, smashing 11 boundaries and three sixes.
Spinner Kavisha Dilhari (2/18) briefly stalled India’s momentum by removing vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (1), whose lean patch continued, and Jemimah Rodrigues, but the outcome was never in doubt with Shafali finishing it off in style with a boundary.
Earlier, trying to stay alive in the series, Hasini Perera (25) gave Sri Lanka a brisk start, striking two boundaries to plunder 12 runs off the opening over bowled by Renuka.
Perera mixed caution with innovation, even scooping the ball over the wicketkeeper to pick up her fourth boundary, ensuring skipper Chamari Athapaththu (3) was kept out of pressure despite her struggle to rotate the strike early on.
But India clawed their way back. The ever-reliable Deepti provided the breakthrough as Athapaththu charged down the pitch, only to top-edge the ball to skipper Harmanpreet Kaur.
Renuka, who quickly shrugged off the rust, then returned for her second spell to deliver twin blows in the sixth over. She first dismissed the in-form Perera before completing a sharp caught-and-bowled to remove Harshitha Samarawickrama (2), leaving Sri Lanka suddenly reeling at 32 for 3.
She struck again in the 10th over, trapping Nilakshika Silva leg-before, further tightening India’s grip on the contest.
Dilhari (20) and Imesha Dulani shared a 40-run stand. But just as it looked like Sri Lanka were finding their way back into the game, Deepti struck to pick up the 150th wicket of her T20I career by getting rid of Dilhari.
From there on, Deepti and Renuka continued to strike at regular intervals, ensuring Sri Lanka never regained momentum and were restricted to a below-par total.
(With inputs from Agencies)
