The batting brilliance of Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma paved the way for India to extend their lead to 4–0 in the five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka in Thiruvananthapuram.
Chamari Athapaththu won the toss for the first time in the series and had no hesitation in bowling first. Sri Lanka made a couple of changes, bringing in Rashmika Sewwandi and Kawya Kavindi in place of Malki Madara and Inoka Ranaweera. The home side also brought in Harleen Deol and Arundhati Reddy for Jemimah Rodrigues and Kranti Gaud.
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The two Indian openers made the most of the good batting conditions and field restrictions as they raced to 61 in the first six overs. The left-hand–right-hand combination took India past 100 in the 11th over. Shafali Verma registered her third successive fifty, while Smriti Mandhana reached the milestone for the first time in the series.
The duo shared a record-breaking 162-run stand, registering the highest partnership for India Women for any wicket in Women’s T20Is. The stand was finally broken when Verma offered a return catch to bowler Nimesha Madushani, as the right-hander was dismissed for the first time in the series after making a 46-ball 79. Five balls later, Mandhana was also dismissed for a 48-ball 80, during which she reached 10,000 international runs, becoming just the fourth player to achieve the feat in women’s cricket.
Richa Ghosh was promoted to No. 3 and provided the finishing touches with an unbeaten 40 off just 16 balls. The hosts posted a massive 221 for 2 at the end of their 20 overs, the highest-ever total for India Women in the format.
Chasing such a stiff target, Hasini Perera and Chamari Athapaththu gave Sri Lanka early impetus in the powerplay. Perera looked promising once again but was dismissed for 33 in the sixth over, although Sri Lanka posted 60 runs during the period.
Sri Lanka’s captain shared another half-century stand with Imesha Dulani and brought up her fifty before falling in the same over. Dulani ended up being run out after scoring 29. Sri Lanka showed a much-improved performance, with most batters showing good intent, but the target proved too steep.
They finished on 191 for 6 – their highest-ever T20I total, handing India a 30-run victory as the hosts made it four in four. Newcomer Vaishnavi Sharma impressed with the ball, finishing with 2 for 24, including the wicket of the opposition captain.
The fifth and final T20I will be played on 30th December at the same venue. Catch the action LIVE on Sri Lanka’s No.1 Sports Channel, available on ThePapare.com.
Result
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smriti Mandhana | c Imesha Dulani b Malsha Shehani | 80 | 48 | 11 | 3 | 166.67 |
| Shafali Verma | c & b Nimasha Meepage | 79 | 46 | 12 | 1 | 171.74 |
| Richa Ghosh | not out | 40 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 250.00 |
| Harmanpreet Kaur | not out | 16 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 160.00 |
| Extras | 6 (b 0 , lb 4 , nb 0, w 2, pen 0) |
| Total | 221/2 (20 Overs, RR: 11.05) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malsha Shehani | 4 | 0 | 32 | 1 | 8.00 | |
| Kawya Kavindi | 4 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 10.75 | |
| Kavisha Dilhari | 4 | 0 | 47 | 0 | 11.75 | |
| Rashmika Sewwandi | 2 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 12.50 | |
| Chamari Athapaththu | 2 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 15.00 | |
| Nimasha Meepage | 4 | 0 | 40 | 1 | 10.00 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hasini Perera | c Harmanpreet Kaur b Arundhati Reddy | 33 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 165.00 |
| Chamari Athapaththu | c Smriti Mandhana b Vaishnavi Sharma | 52 | 37 | 3 | 3 | 140.54 |
| Imesha Dulani | run out (Amanjot Kaur) | 29 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 103.57 |
| Harshitha Samarawickrama | st Richa Ghosh b Vaishnavi Sharma | 20 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 153.85 |
| Kavisha Dilhari | c Gunalan Kamalini b Arundhati Reddy | 13 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 162.50 |
| Nilakshi de Silva | not out | 23 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 209.09 |
| Rashmika Sewwandi | b Shree Charani | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 125.00 |
| Kaushani Nuthyangana | not out | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 250.00 |
| Extras | 11 (b 5 , lb 1 , nb 3, w 2, pen 0) |
| Total | 191/6 (20 Overs, RR: 9.55) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renuka Singh | 3 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 10.67 | |
| Arundhati Reddy | 4 | 0 | 42 | 2 | 10.50 | |
| Deepti Sharma | 4 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 7.75 | |
| Vaishnavi Sharma | 4 | 0 | 24 | 2 | 6.00 | |
| Amanjot Kaur | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10.00 | |
| Shree Charani | 4 | 0 | 46 | 1 | 11.50 | |
