Sri Lanka Women Choose to Bowl First in Final T20I Against India

Match Preview: Sri Lanka Women vs India Women

Thiruvananthapuram: In the fifth and final T20I of the series at Greenfield International Stadium, Sri Lanka Women won the toss and opted to bowl first against India.

India currently holds a commanding 4-0 lead in the five-match series, aiming for a clean sweep. The initial two games took place in Visakhapatnam, while the concluding matches are being held in Thiruvananthapuram.

Making her international debut for India is Gunalan Kamalini, as key players Smriti Mandhana, Renuka Thakur, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Kranti Goud have been rested. Sneh Rana and Harleen Deol return to the squad. Kamalini, a 17-year-old top-order batter and wicketkeeper, was a standout performer for Tamil Nadu in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy and was part of the Under-19 team that clinched the Women’s T20 World Cup earlier this year.

Sri Lanka has welcomed back Inoka Ranaweera and Malki Madara into their lineup.

Chamari Athapaththu, the captain of Sri Lanka Women, stated, "We will bowl first. We played well in the last match, so we decided to bowl first. This year has taught us a lot, especially playing against the World Champions. This is a great opportunity for our younger players, and we aim to carry the positives into the new year."

Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain of India Women, remarked, "We were fine with batting first as well. This is an important match, and we want to finish as strongly as we started the series. We have made two changes: Smriti Mandhana and Renuka Thakur are resting, and G. Kamalini is making her debut. Sneh Rana is back in the team."

Playing XIs:

Sri Lanka Women: Hasini Perera, Chamari Athapaththu (c), Imesha Dulani, Harshitha Madavi Samarawickrama (vc), Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshi de Silva, Rashmika Sewwandi, Kaushani Nuthyangana (wk), Nimasha Madushani, Inoka Ranaweera, Malki Madara

India Women: Shafali Verma, G. Kamalini, Richa Ghosh (wk), Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Vaishnavi Sharma, Shree Charani, Arundhati Reddy