191/6 (20.0)
CR : 9.55
221/2 (20.0)
CR : 11.05
India Women won by 30 runs 🏆
Player of the Match
Smriti Mandhana
80(48)
Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka Women Captain): “Yeah, I think there was definitely some improvement in our batting tonight. That was pleasing to see. But at the same time, we still need to improve, especially in terms of power-hitting. In this format, you need strong power hitters, and that’s an area we really have to work on.
I think the game slipped away when the Indian openers got going. We wanted to bowl first, and we did get that decision right, but they batted extremely well and executed their plans perfectly. From our side, the bowlers couldn’t quite deliver as we wanted. That said, we have a lot of youngsters in this team, especially in the bowling unit.
Playing against the best team in the world is a big learning experience for them, and I believe they’ll take a lot from this tournament and come back stronger in the next game.
Vaishnavi bowled really well. She’s very young but has improved a lot. I’ve seen her play at the Under-19 level, and even though she hasn’t played the WPL yet, the way she planned her spells stood out. The way Harman managed her in the middle overs was also very impressive. That’s a really good sign for Indian cricket.
Hopefully, we can regroup and put in a better performance next time.”
I think the game slipped away when the Indian openers got going. We wanted to bowl first, and we did get that decision right, but they batted extremely well and executed their plans perfectly. From our side, the bowlers couldn’t quite deliver as we wanted. That said, we have a lot of youngsters in this team, especially in the bowling unit.
Playing against the best team in the world is a big learning experience for them, and I believe they’ll take a lot from this tournament and come back stronger in the next game.
Vaishnavi bowled really well. She’s very young but has improved a lot. I’ve seen her play at the Under-19 level, and even though she hasn’t played the WPL yet, the way she planned her spells stood out. The way Harman managed her in the middle overs was also very impressive. That’s a really good sign for Indian cricket.
Hopefully, we can regroup and put in a better performance next time.”
Go the Distance Award: Richa Ghosh
Great Striker of the Match: Shafali Verma
Smart saver of the Match: Amanjot Kaur
Harmanpreet Kaur (India Women captain): "We were getting short with time. I wanted everyone to be quick. I did not want to have the last over with 3 fielders outside. I have been playing cricket for ages. I try to improve every year. Credit to Shafali and Smriti. The way they started made it easy for us. Then, me and Richa finished it off. Today, we thought we would give Harleen a chance. But then we sent Richa cause no one can finish it off better than her. So, Smriti and Shafali are the reason that she (Harleen) did not get to bat."
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: SMRITI MANDHANA
Highest Match Aggregates in WT20Is (Full Members):
425 – Australia vs West Indies, North Sydney, 2023
412 – India vs Sri Lanka, Thiruvananthapuram, 2025*
397 – India vs England, Brabourne, 2018
Most Player of the Match Award for India in WT20Is:
12 - Mithali Raj
11 - Harmanpreet Kaur
8 - Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana*
7 - Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues
12 - Mithali Raj
11 - Harmanpreet Kaur
8 - Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana*
7 - Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues
Smriti Mandhana (Player of the Match): “Yeah, it was definitely an important knock for me. I’ve played a lot of one-day cricket over the last six months, and coming back into the T20 mindset isn’t always easy.
The first few games, mentally, it felt a bit different, but I’m really happy that I could contribute today and, more importantly, that we won the match. Sri Lanka stuck to a similar plan against me in the first few games, and to be fair, it worked.
They got me out in the second and third matches using that plan. I spent some time understanding what they were bowling to me and tried to work on those shots in practice. Of course, practicing is one thing and executing it in a match is another, but I’m glad it came off today.
Batting with Shafali is always a treat. Watching her from the other end makes things easier because the way she goes after the bowlers in the first four or five overs puts the pressure back on them. My role was just to rotate the strike and get into rhythm. We complement each other really well - some days she takes charge, some days I do, and it’s great to see how much she’s matured as a batter.
As a group, I think the last year has been really special for us. There’s been a conscious effort to build a stronger team culture where everyone genuinely celebrates each other’s success. You could see that today, when Kamalini took that catch, everyone was so happy for her because it was her first game in the Indian jersey.
That kind of environment makes a huge difference, especially for youngsters coming into the side.”
The first few games, mentally, it felt a bit different, but I’m really happy that I could contribute today and, more importantly, that we won the match. Sri Lanka stuck to a similar plan against me in the first few games, and to be fair, it worked.
They got me out in the second and third matches using that plan. I spent some time understanding what they were bowling to me and tried to work on those shots in practice. Of course, practicing is one thing and executing it in a match is another, but I’m glad it came off today.
Batting with Shafali is always a treat. Watching her from the other end makes things easier because the way she goes after the bowlers in the first four or five overs puts the pressure back on them. My role was just to rotate the strike and get into rhythm. We complement each other really well - some days she takes charge, some days I do, and it’s great to see how much she’s matured as a batter.
As a group, I think the last year has been really special for us. There’s been a conscious effort to build a stronger team culture where everyone genuinely celebrates each other’s success. You could see that today, when Kamalini took that catch, everyone was so happy for her because it was her first game in the Indian jersey.
That kind of environment makes a huge difference, especially for youngsters coming into the side.”
A spectacular Smriti-Shafali show helps India go 4-0 in the series.
Sri Lanka impressed with the bat and notched up their highest ever total (in WT20Is). India were poor with their fielding again, dropping a bazillion catches. But such has been the gulf between the sides that Kaur and co. won convincingly yet again.
However, with only 166 days remaining for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup, they'll be the first ones to admit that they need to get better.
First up, they'll look to cap off this wonderful year with a clean sweep. The two sides will face-off for one final time in 2025 on Tuesday, December 30. And like always, we will be there to call the action.
Do join us then. For now, this is Darpan Tikiya signing off on the behalf of Dev Rajawat, Rajesh Pal, Vishnu Verma and Chandan Kumar Singh. Goodbye for now!
Sri Lanka impressed with the bat and notched up their highest ever total (in WT20Is). India were poor with their fielding again, dropping a bazillion catches. But such has been the gulf between the sides that Kaur and co. won convincingly yet again.
However, with only 166 days remaining for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup, they'll be the first ones to admit that they need to get better.
First up, they'll look to cap off this wonderful year with a clean sweep. The two sides will face-off for one final time in 2025 on Tuesday, December 30. And like always, we will be there to call the action.
Do join us then. For now, this is Darpan Tikiya signing off on the behalf of Dev Rajawat, Rajesh Pal, Vishnu Verma and Chandan Kumar Singh. Goodbye for now!