Indian Women's Cricket Team Secures Series Victory Against Sri Lanka
India Dominates Sri Lanka in Third T20 Match
The Indian women's cricket team achieved an impressive victory over Sri Lanka, winning by eight wickets with 40 balls to spare in the third T20 international match held on Friday. This win, bolstered by the remarkable bowling performances of Renuka Singh Thakur and Deepti Sharma, gives India an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
Previously, India had triumphed in the first two T20 matches in Visakhapatnam, winning by margins of eight and seven wickets, respectively. With this latest victory, Harmanpreet Kaur has become the captain with the most wins in T20 internationals, leading India to its 77th victory in 130 matches, surpassing Australia's Meg Lanning, who has 76 wins in 100 matches.
Renuka made a stellar comeback, taking four wickets for just 21 runs in her four overs, including a maiden. Meanwhile, Deepti also excelled, claiming three wickets for 18 runs, tying with Australia's Megan Schutt for the most wickets in T20 internationals. Sri Lanka managed to score only 112 runs after being invited to bat first.
Despite an early dismissal of Smriti Mandhana for just one run, Shefali Verma played aggressively, scoring an unbeaten 79 runs off 42 balls, including 11 fours and three sixes, guiding India to a comfortable victory in just 13.2 overs alongside Harmanpreet, who contributed 21 runs.
India lost its first wicket in the fourth over when Mandhana was out LBW to Kavisha Dilhari after facing only six balls. Jemimah Rodrigues also fell for nine runs, bowled by Dilhari. However, Shefali's steady performance ensured the team reached the target smoothly. Renuka's early breakthroughs set the tone for the match, while Deepti provided crucial support with timely wickets.
Sri Lanka's Hasini Perera started strong with 25 runs, hitting two boundaries off Renuka's first over. However, captain Chamari Athapaththu struggled to rotate the strike and was dismissed by Deepti, who caught her off a leading edge. Renuka then struck twice in her second spell, dismissing Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama, leaving Sri Lanka at 32 for three.
Kavisha Dilhari and Imesha Dulani attempted to stabilize the innings with a partnership of 40 runs, but Deepti's 150th T20 international wicket came when she dismissed Dilhari, and Sri Lanka could not recover, finishing with a below-par score.