THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: India’s batting depth underwent a severe stress test under the evening skies of Thiruvananthapuram against Sri Lanka. But captain Harmanpreet Kaur stood as calm as a beacon in troubled waters, scoring a dazzling 43-ball 68 after the hosts were asked to bat first. A late raid – 47 runs off the last three overs – was fueled by Arundhati Reddy’s 27 off 11 (4×4, 1×6) to take India to a commanding 175/7.Arundhati’s late strike proved decisive as Sri Lanka’s chase collapsed despite a mid-innings surge to 99/2 in 13 overs. Lacking the firepower to sustain the attack, the visitors closed at 160/7, falling 15 runs short. India sealed a comprehensive victory to complete a commanding 5-0 series.
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This was the first such series defeat for Sri Lanka in bilateral T20Is.All-rounder Deepti Sharma became the highest wicket-taker in women’s T20Is as she trapped Nilakshika Silva for 3 in the 14th over.India had a distinctly experimental look tonight, resting the in-form Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues still sidelined while recovering from a fever.Shafali Verma fell early while debutant opener Gunalan Kamalini showed flashes of promise. Her 12 off 12, studded with two boundaries, suggested intent before she was trapped lbw. Harleen Deol tried to keep things moving but the wickets kept coming in bunches.Richa Ghosh and Deepti Sharma couldn’t quite make it through as Sri Lanka, led by Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu and a neat spell from Kavisha Dilhari, applied the pressure. A lively twenty-one Amanjota Kaura secured the haul while Harmanpreet made sure the bat didn’t unravel and played a shot that crackled with authority. Nine fours smashed through the infield, a solitary six sailed over it, and when it was close, the pace never dropped.However, Sri Lanka lacked a trick and Dilhari, their best bowler of the evening, was strangely restricted to just two overs despite finishing with excellent figures of 2/11.Sri Lanka’s chase of 176 stuttered early on but was settled at the halfway mark under lights. Athapaththu’s stay was short-lived, falling cheaply to Reddy, leaving the visitors reeling at 7/1. From there, Hasini Perera and Imesha Dulani stitched together a calm, striking stance. Perera played with all his might, racing to his first T20 fifty in 37 balls, while Dulani also made it to a half-century.At 75/1 after 10 overs, Sri Lanka stayed afloat. But India kept shedding timely scalps, courtesy of Vaishnavi Sharma, Amanjot and Sneh Rana. When Sree Charani bowled Hasini a 42-ball 65, the Sri Lankans needed 44 from 22. By then, you could sense the match was beyond the visitors’ reach.
