115/2 (13.2)
CR : 8.63
112/7 (20.0)
CR : 5.60
India Women won by 8 wickets 🏆
Player of the Match
Renuka Singh Thakur
4/21
Most Runs in T20 Internationals (India Women)
Smriti Mandhana - 4022 (156 matches)
Harmanpreet Kaur - 3700 (185 matches)
Jemimah Rodrigues - 2479 (115 matches)
Shafali Verma - 2378 (93 matches)
Mithali Raj - 2364 (89 matches)
Smriti Mandhana - 4022 (156 matches)
Harmanpreet Kaur - 3700 (185 matches)
Jemimah Rodrigues - 2479 (115 matches)
Shafali Verma - 2378 (93 matches)
Mithali Raj - 2364 (89 matches)
9:49 PM IST, Local Time: It is time for the post-match presentation...
Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka Women Captain): "It hasn’t been easy for us, and honestly, we haven’t played our best cricket throughout this series. As a batting unit, we’ve struggled, and that’s an area we really need to improve. We’ve backed this batting line-up for the last six months, but in this format, we’re still trying to find the right balance and consistency.
We’ve tried a few different things with our bowling unit and continue to trust our youngsters, especially at the top of the order. But we know there’s work to be done if we want to be competitive going forward.
There are positives, though. Dulani got an opportunity today and batted really well in the middle order. Kavisha also played a very good innings at the top, and that partnership gave us a solid start. Those are encouraging signs.
At the same time, we are still searching for a few combinations ahead of the World Cup. We’ve rested five or six players during this series, so this phase is about learning and improving.
We have two bilateral series coming up, and hopefully we can perform well in both and come back much stronger in the next game here in Colombo.”
We’ve tried a few different things with our bowling unit and continue to trust our youngsters, especially at the top of the order. But we know there’s work to be done if we want to be competitive going forward.
There are positives, though. Dulani got an opportunity today and batted really well in the middle order. Kavisha also played a very good innings at the top, and that partnership gave us a solid start. Those are encouraging signs.
At the same time, we are still searching for a few combinations ahead of the World Cup. We’ve rested five or six players during this series, so this phase is about learning and improving.
We have two bilateral series coming up, and hopefully we can perform well in both and come back much stronger in the next game here in Colombo.”
Biggest Six in the Match: Shafali Verma (83m maximum)
Great Striker of the Match: Shafali Verma (11 boundaries)
Smart Saver of the Match: Amanjot Kaur
Harmanpreet Kaur (India Women Captain): "Yeah, it was a great series for all of us. That's what we discussed after the World Cup. We have to raise our standards and be a lot more aggressive in T20Is with the World Cup around the corner, really happy with the performance.
I think the contribution from our bowling. In T20s, bowling is very important. Today, we are in this position because of our bowlers. So, credit goes to our bowling line up for the way they bowled in this series.
Yeah, definitely. They are the ones, who have been giving us breakthroughs. So, first six overs, we know their top-order is very important to get a breakthrough. First over didn't go as we expected but how she came back and took those four wickets is something we were looking for."
I think the contribution from our bowling. In T20s, bowling is very important. Today, we are in this position because of our bowlers. So, credit goes to our bowling line up for the way they bowled in this series.
Yeah, definitely. They are the ones, who have been giving us breakthroughs. So, first six overs, we know their top-order is very important to get a breakthrough. First over didn't go as we expected but how she came back and took those four wickets is something we were looking for."
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: RENUKA SINGH THAKUR
Renuka Singh Thakur (Player of the Match): "I’m very pleased. Of course, I’m happy with four wickets, but to take a five-wicket haul, I know I still need to work harder. I’ve taken five before - I think it was against West Indies, and that always reminds me that to get there again, I need to put in more effort.
After sitting out for a couple of matches, I didn’t do anything special. As I’ve mentioned earlier, whenever a tournament starts, I go to the NCA for practice because it helps me a lot. I try to put in extra work on my bowling and fitness there, and then execute it in matches.
Variation is something I’ve been working on for the last six months to a year, especially because I want to do well in T20 cricket. I want to be clear with my plans so that when I play in Australia or at the World Cup, there are no doubts in my mind. I want to be mentally prepared well in advance.
When it comes to spells, I don’t think too much if my first over doesn’t go well. I know I need to make a comeback. Even today, my first over wasn’t great, but I focused on what I could do differently with the ball to take wickets and make sure the captain gives me the ball again.
In the dressing room, everyone was motivating me to go for five wickets. The captain believes in me, and Harmanpreet keeps pushing me to do better. I remember something Jhulan di once told me - that to take five wickets, you need to work even harder. That’s what I keep reminding myself.
Thank you.”
After sitting out for a couple of matches, I didn’t do anything special. As I’ve mentioned earlier, whenever a tournament starts, I go to the NCA for practice because it helps me a lot. I try to put in extra work on my bowling and fitness there, and then execute it in matches.
Variation is something I’ve been working on for the last six months to a year, especially because I want to do well in T20 cricket. I want to be clear with my plans so that when I play in Australia or at the World Cup, there are no doubts in my mind. I want to be mentally prepared well in advance.
When it comes to spells, I don’t think too much if my first over doesn’t go well. I know I need to make a comeback. Even today, my first over wasn’t great, but I focused on what I could do differently with the ball to take wickets and make sure the captain gives me the ball again.
In the dressing room, everyone was motivating me to go for five wickets. The captain believes in me, and Harmanpreet keeps pushing me to do better. I remember something Jhulan di once told me - that to take five wickets, you need to work even harder. That’s what I keep reminding myself.
Thank you.”
Another clinical performance from India Women and they prove to be too good for Sri Lanka yet again. The Women in Blue have taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in this five-match series. It was another Shafali Verma show, who starred with the bat with another unbeaten half-century to take the hosts over the line comfortably.
I'm Ajay Pal Singh signing off on behalf of my colleagues Dev Rajawat and Vishnu Verma. Goodbye!!!
I'm Ajay Pal Singh signing off on behalf of my colleagues Dev Rajawat and Vishnu Verma. Goodbye!!!