India captain Harmanpreet Kaur reached a historic milestone on Friday, emerging as the most successful captain in women's T20 Internationals. India's eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in Trivandrum not only sealed the series but also handed Harmanpreet her 77th win as skipper - the most by any captain in the format.
With that result, Harmanpreet moved past Australian great Meg Lanning, who had previously held the record with 76 wins. England stalwarts Heather Knight and Charlotte Edwards follow behind with 72 and 68 victories respectively.
While Lanning reached her tally in 100 matches, Harmanpreet achieved the landmark in her 130th outing as captain, underlining both her durability and sustained success at the highest level.
India's triumph
was built on a dominant bowling performance. Sri Lanka started positively through Hasini Perera, but momentum shifted swiftly once Deepti Sharma dismissed captain Chamari Athapaththu. Renuka Singh Thakur, returning to the side, then tore through the top order, leaving the visitors struggling at 32 for three.
Renuka went on to pick up two more wickets, while Deepti maintained pressure throughout her spell, finishing as joint-leading wicket-taker in women's T20I history. Sri Lanka were eventually restricted to a modest 112 for seven.
The chase was a one-sided affair, led by an explosive display from Shafali Verma. The opener attacked from the outset and remained unbeaten on 79 from just 42 deliveries, ensuring there were no late scares despite a brief fightback from Kavisha Dilhari. India cruised home with eight wickets in hand to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series.
Reflecting on the performance, Harmanpreet praised her team's collective growth. "It has been a great series for all of us," she said after the match. "That's what we discussed when we got together after the World Cup: we have to raise our standard. Be a little more aggressive in T20, we all know the T20 World Cup is coming up, this is the right time to push ourselves, so really happy with the overall performance. Contribution from our bowling because T20 bowling is very important. If you keep ticking all the boxes in your bowling department, you have more chances to win the game. "
She further credited the bowlers for the team's success, adding, "Today, we are in this position because of our bowlers. Credit goes to our bowling lineup for the way they bowled in this series. "
