The return of Renuka Singh and Deepti Sharma saw the duo share seven wickets to restrict Sri Lanka to yet another below-par score, before Shafali Verma’s second consecutive fifty guided India to seal the series with two matches to spare in Thiruvananthapuram.
Harmanpreet Kaur elected to bowl first yet again after winning the third toss in a row. Renuka Singh and Deepti Sharma returned to the Indian side as Sneh Rana and Arundhati Reddy were rested. Sri Lanka too made three changes, bringing in Imesha Dulani, Nimesha Madushani and Malsha Shehani in place of Vishmi Gunaratne, Kawya Kavindi and Shashini Gimhani.
Once again, the visitors failed to post a competitive score after batting first, managing only 112 for 7 in their 20 overs. Hasini Perera stroked an 18-ball 25 at the top, but regular wickets pushed them completely on the back foot.
After being reduced to 45 for 4, Imesha Dulani and Kavisha Dilhari added 41 runs before the latter was dismissed for a quick 20. Dulani top-scored for Sri Lanka with 27, while wicketkeeper-batter Kaushani Nuthyangana remained unbeaten on 19.
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Playing her first game of the series, Renuka Singh made an impressive return, registering her fourth 4-wicket haul in the format. Deepti Sharma was brilliant as always, starring with 3 for 18 as she became the joint leading wicket-taker in Women’s T20Is, equalling Meghan Schutt with 151 scalps.
Player of the Match from the previous game, Shafali Verma continued from where she left off and smashed a 24-ball fifty. Though Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues struggled and were dismissed by Dilhari, there was no stopping Verma. The right-handed batter played an unbeaten 79-run knock, including 11 fours and three sixes. Eventually, the hosts reached the target within just 13.2 overs to take an unassailable lead in the five-match series.
With this win, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur achieved the most wins as captain in Women’s T20 Internationals, surpassing former Australian skipper Meg Lanning.
The fourth match will take place at the same venue on 28th December. Catch the action LIVE on Sri Lanka’s No.1 Sports Channel, available on ThePapare.com.
Result
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hasini Perera | c Deepti Sharma b Renuka Singh | 25 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 138.89 |
| Chamari Athapaththu | c Harmanpreet Kaur b Deepti Sharma | 3 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
| Harshitha Samarawickrama | c & b Renuka Singh | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Imesha Dulani | c Jemimah Rodrigues b Renuka Singh | 27 | 32 | 4 | 0 | 84.38 |
| Nilakshi de Silva | lbw b Renuka Singh | 4 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 44.44 |
| Kavisha Dilhari | c Amanjot Kaur b Deepti Sharma | 20 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 153.85 |
| Kaushani Nuthyangana | not out | 19 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 118.75 |
| Malsha Shehani | b | 5 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 45.45 |
| Malki Madara | not out | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20.00 |
| Extras | 6 (b 1 , lb 2 , nb 0, w 3, pen 0) |
| Total | 112/7 (20 Overs, RR: 5.6) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renuka Singh | 4 | 0 | 21 | 4 | 5.25 | |
| Kranti Goud | 4 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 5.50 | |
| Deepti Sharma | 4 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 4.50 | |
| Vaishnavi Sharma | 3 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 4.67 | |
| Amanjot Kaur | 4 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 5.75 | |
| Shree Charani | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 11.00 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shafali Verma | not out | 79 | 42 | 1 | 0 | 188.10 |
| Smriti Mandhana | lbw b Kavisha Dilhari | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 16.67 |
| Jemimah Rodrigues | b Kavisha Dilhari | 9 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 60.00 |
| Harmanpreet Kaur | not out | 21 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 116.67 |
| Extras | 5 (b 0 , lb 1 , nb 1, w 3, pen 0) |
| Total | 115/2 (13.2 Overs, RR: 8.62) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malsha Shehani | 2.2 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 12.73 | |
| Malki Madara | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 5.50 | |
| Nimasha Meepage | 2 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 14.50 | |
| Kavisha Dilhari | 3 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 6.00 | |
| Inoka Ranaweera | 4 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 7.00 | |
