Indian Women's Team Completes 5-0 Sweep Against Sri Lanka in T20 Series
Dominant Victory for India in T20 Series Finale
The Indian women's cricket team showcased their dominance once again at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. They secured a 15-run victory over Sri Lanka in the fifth and final T20 match, achieving a clean sweep of the series with a 5-0 scoreline.
This match took place on December 30, where India batted first and managed to score 175 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. The start was challenging for India as the top order faltered early. Shafali Verma was dismissed cheaply, and both Richa Ghosh and Deepti Sharma failed to make significant contributions. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur stepped up, delivering a composed and impactful innings of 68 runs off 43 balls. In the final overs, Arundhati Reddy added 27 runs off just 11 balls, helping the team reach a respectable total.
For Sri Lanka, Kavisha Dilhari was economical with the ball, taking 2 wickets, while Chamari Athapaththu and Rashmika Sewwandi also claimed two wickets each.
Chasing the target, Sri Lanka stumbled at the start, with captain Chamari Athapaththu falling for just 2 runs. However, Hasini Perera and Imesha Dulani stabilized the innings, adding 79 runs for the second wicket. Perera scored 65 runs off 42 balls, while Dulani reached her half-century off 39 balls. Despite their efforts, the required run rate continued to climb.
Notably, Amanjot Kaur turned the match in India's favor by dismissing Dulani in the 12th over. Following this wicket, Sri Lanka's innings faltered, and they ended up with 160 runs for 7 wickets in their 20 overs.
In this match, Deepti Sharma achieved a historic milestone by taking her 152nd T20 international wicket, dismissing Nilakshika Silva LBW, thus becoming the leading wicket-taker in women's T20 cricket, surpassing Australia's Megan Schutt. All Indian bowlers contributed by taking at least one wicket, maintaining constant pressure on Sri Lanka.
This victory marks India's sixth clean sweep of 5-0 in women's T20 cricket. After the match, captain Harmanpreet Kaur expressed that the year 2025 is set to be significant for the team, highlighting their confidence in adapting to the T20 format following the ODI World Cup.