India Wins Fourth Consecutive T20 Series Against Sri Lanka
With an unbeaten half-century from Shefali Verma, India defeated Sri Lanka by 8 wickets in the third T20 match, taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the ongoing five-match T20 series. Earlier, under the leadership of Harmanpreet Kaur, the team had won the first two matches by 8 and 7 wickets respectively. The fourth match will be played on 28th December.
India's Performance
The Indian women's team had a rocky start in chasing the target. Kavisha Dilhari dismissed vice-captain Smriti Mandhana LBW for just 1 run. Later, Dilhari also bowled out Jemimah Rodrigues for 9 runs. However, Shefali Verma completed her half-century in just 24 balls and remained unbeaten on 79. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur also remained not out at 21, and India reached 115/2 in just 13.2 overs, securing an easy win.
Renuka Singh and Deepti Sharma Shine
Renuka Singh Thakur made a strong comeback with 4 wickets, while Deepti Sharma set a historic record by becoming the joint highest wicket-taker in Women's T20 International cricket. Renuka (4/21) rattled Sri Lanka’s top order, while Deepti (3/18) took important wickets and completed her 151st T20I wicket, equaling Australia's Megan Schutt’s record.
Sri Lanka, fighting to stay in the series, got off to a quick start with Hasini Perera (25) hitting Renuka for two boundaries in her first over. However, India soon took control of the game, with Deepti dismissing Chamari Athapaththu (3) and Renuka cleaning up the Sri Lankan middle order.
Sri Lanka's Struggle
Sri Lanka could not recover after a few early wickets. Renuka's consistent breakthroughs and Deepti's key wickets kept Sri Lanka from building any momentum, and India restricted them to just 112 runs in 20 overs.
Playing XIs of Both Teams
India: Smriti Mandhana, Shefali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Richa Ghosh (Wicketkeeper), Deepti Sharma, Amanjot Kaur, Vaishnavi Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Renuka Singh Thakur, Shri Charani.
Sri Lanka: Chamari Athapaththu (Captain), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshika Silva, Imeshha Dulani, Kaushani Nuthyangana (Wicketkeeper), Malsha Shehani, Inoka Ranavira, Malki Madara, Nimsha Madhushani.