India Women clinch T20I series as Shafali shines in Thiruvananthapuram

Shafali Verma smashed 79 not out off 42 balls as India Women beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the third T20I at Thiruvananthapuram. Renuka Singh Thakur (4-21) and Deepti Sharma (3-18) restricted Sri Lanka to 112/7

Thiruvananthapuram: In-form opener Shafali Verma smashed an unbeaten 79 off 42 balls to power India Women to an eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka Women in the third T20I of the five-match series, securing an unassailable 3-0 lead at the Greenfield International Stadium on Friday.

After Renuka Singh Thakur’s 4-21 and Deepti Sharma’s 3-18 restricted Sri Lanka to 112/7, Shafali tore apart the bowling attack with a splendid display of strokeplay — smashing 11 fours and three sixes in a blistering knock that guided India home with 6.4 overs to spare.

Despite losing her opening partner Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues to Kavisha Dilhari, Shafali dominated from the outset to ensure India’s convincing win. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur contributed with a composed 21 not out, as India sealed their fourth consecutive T20I series win over Sri Lanka.

Shafali started cautiously with three dot balls in the first over, before unleashing a brutal assault on the Sri Lankan bowlers. She lofted and pulled Malsha Shehani for six and four, then repeated the shots against Nimesha Madushani for consecutive boundaries.

India suffered a setback when vice-captain Smriti Mandhana was trapped lbw by off-spinner Kavisha Dilhari for just one. Attempting a sweep, Smriti missed the delivery as the ball spun away and struck her pad, with ball-tracking confirming it would hit leg stump.

Jemimah Rodrigues also fell to Dilhari, but Shafali was magnificent in driving, pulling and lofting, reaching her fifty in just 24 balls with a drive past mid-on off Malki Madara. Harmanpreet added boundaries on the leg side, while Shafali muscled three more ruthless shots before finishing the chase with a lofted four.

Brief Scores:
Sri Lanka 112/7 in 20 overs (Imesha Dulani 27, Hasini Perera 25; Renuka Singh Thakur 4-21, Deepti Sharma 3-18) lost to India 115/2 in 13.2 overs (Shafali Verma 79 n.o., Harmanpreet Kaur 21 n.o.; Kavisha Dilhari 2-18) by eight wickets.