India Secures 5-0 Series Victory Over Sri Lanka in Final T20I

India Triumphs in Final T20I Against Sri Lanka

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala), December 30: A stellar performance by captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who scored a crucial fifty, combined with a strong bowling display, enabled India to defeat Sri Lanka by 15 runs in the fifth and concluding T20I match on Tuesday.

With this victory, India achieved a clean sweep of the series, finishing with a 5-0 record against Sri Lanka.

During the chase for 176 runs, Sri Lanka encountered an early challenge, losing their captain Chamari Athapaththu for just two runs off five balls, caught by Deepti Sharma at extra cover. The team was left at 7/1 within 1.5 overs.

Imesha Dulani quickly made her presence felt, hitting two boundaries off Deepti. Alongside Hasini Perera, she launched a counter-offensive, accumulating runs effortlessly against both spin and pace, concluding the powerplay at 48/1, with Dulani on 27* and Perera on 17*.

SL reached the 50-run mark in 6.2 overs. The aggressive batting continued, with Sri Lanka at 75/1 at the halfway point, needing 101 runs in the last 10 overs.

Dulani reached her fifty in just 38 balls, hitting eight fours. However, Amanjot Kaur broke the 79-run partnership, dismissing Dulani for a 39-ball 50, leaving SL at 86/2 in 11.1 overs.

India's spinners turned the tide, with Deepti claiming her record-breaking 152nd T20I wicket by dismissing Nilakshi de Silva for three runs, while Vaishnavi Sharma took out Kavisha Dillhari for five. Sri Lanka found themselves at 107/4 in 14.3 overs.

Hasini reached her fifty in 37 balls, hitting six fours. However, after scoring a four and a six off Shree Charani, she was dismissed for 65 runs off 42 balls, leaving SL at 132/5 in 16.4 overs.

From that point, Sri Lanka struggled to recover, finishing at 160/7 in their 20 overs, with Rashmika Sevwandi (14*) and Malki Mandara (5*) remaining not out.

Deepti, Arundhati, Sneh Rana, Charani, Vaishnavi, and Amanjot each took a wicket for India.

Harmanpreet Kaur's impressive fifty, along with a quick-fire contribution from Arundhati Reddy in the final over, propelled India to a total of 175/7 in the last T20I against Sri Lanka.

Reddy scored 27* off 11 balls, including four boundaries and a six, while Sneh Rana added 8*, contributing to a vital 33-run partnership off 14 balls for the eighth wicket. Reddy notably struck 20 runs off Malki Madara in the last over.

Chamari Athapaththu, the visiting captain, won the toss and opted to field first. India had a rocky start, losing Shafali Verma for five runs, while debutant G. Kamalini managed 12 runs. Harleen Deol began well but was dismissed for 13 runs off 11 balls in the seventh over.

Wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh also struggled, scoring just five runs before being dismissed by Athapaththu in the ninth over. Harmanpreet Kaur anchored the innings, but India found themselves four wickets down within the first 10 overs.

All-rounder Deepti Sharma followed Ghosh, falling victim to Athapaththu's slow off-spin.

Sharma attempted a slog towards mid-wicket but ended up top-edging the ball into the hands of Nimasha Madushani.

Kaur, alongside Amanjot Kaur, steadied the innings. Amanjot rotated the strike while Kaur consistently found the boundary. In the 15th over, Kaur took on Athapaththu, hitting two consecutive fours to reach her fifty.

Rashmika Sewwandi ended the 61-run partnership for the sixth wicket by dismissing Amanjot for 21 runs off 18 balls.

Kaur, after an outstanding innings of 68, was bowled by Kavisha Dilhari in the 18th over, putting India in a precarious position.

India concluded their innings at 175/7, setting a target of 176 runs for Sri Lanka to avoid a clean sweep in the five-match T20I series.