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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: India’s batting depth got a stern stress test under Thiruvananthapuram’s evening skies against Sri Lanka. But captain Harmanpreet Kaur stood calm as a lighthouse in choppy waters to score a dazzling 43-ball 68, after the hosts were asked to take first strike. A late ambush — 47 runs plundered from the final three overs — was turbocharged by Arundhati Reddy’s jaw-dropping 27 off 11 (4×4, 1×6), lifting India to a commanding 175/7.Arundhati’s late onslaught proved decisive as Sri Lanka’s chase fizzled despite a mid-innings surge to 99/2 in 13 overs. Lacking the firepower to sustain the charge, the visitors closed on 160/7, falling 15 runs short. India sealed a comprehensive victory and completed a commanding 5–0 series sweep.
This was the first such series defeat for Sri Lanka in bilateral T20Is.En win, allrounder Deepti Sharma became the highest wicket-taker in women’s T20Is, when she trapped Nilakshika Silva for 3 in the 14th over.India wore a distinctly experimental look tonight, with an in-form Smriti Mandhana rested and Jemimah Rodrigues still sidelined while recovering from fever.Shafali Verma fell early, while debutant opener Gunalan Kamalini showed flashes of promise. Her 12 off 12, studded with two boundaries, hinted at intent before she was trapped lbw. Harleen Deol tried to keep things moving, but wickets kept arriving in clusters.Richa Ghosh and Deepti Sharma couldn’t quite impose themselves as Sri Lanka, led by Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu and a tidy spell from Kavisha Dilhari, applied the pressure. Amanjot Kaur’s lively 21 provided the thrust, while Harmanpreet made sure the batting didn’t unravel, playing a knock that crackled with authority. Nine fours pierced the infield, a lone six sailed over it, and the tempo never dipped when she was around.Sri Lanka, though, missed a trick, with Dilhari, their best bowler of the night, was strangely restricted to just two overs, despite finishing with excellent figures of 2/11.Sri Lanka’s chase of 176 stuttered early but was steadied by the halfway mark under lights. Athapaththu’s stay was fleeting, falling cheaply to Reddy, leaving the visitors wobbling at 7/1. From there, Hasini Perera and Imesha Dulani stitched together a calm, counterpunching stand. Perera played with intent, racing to her maiden T20 fifty in 37 balls, while Dulani swept her way to half-century as well.At 75/1 after 10 overs, Sri Lanka stayed afloat. But India kept chipping away with timely scalps, courtesy Vaishnavi Sharma, Amanjot and Sneh Rana. When Sree Charani bowled Hasini for 42-ball 65, Sri Lankans needed 44 from 22. By then, you could sense that the match was beyond the visitors’ grasp.
