The Indian Women’s team registered a comprehensive 3-0 series victory with a resounding nine-wicket win in the final T20I at the JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi. With a win in the final match, the Mithali Raj-led team recorded a 6-0 tally having previously won the ODI series with a similar 3-0 margin.
The third T20I was one-way affair right from the start. Yet again, the home team outplayed the visitors in all three departments of the game. The Indian team was hardly tested as the hosts got to the paltry target of 90 runs without much fuss. Left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht claimed three wickets for just nine runs as Indian spinners bowled with discipline.
India knocked off the target with 37 balls to spare and in doing so, registered their second biggest victory in terms of ball remaining. Opener Vellaswamy Vanitha blasted 34 from 25 balls and Smriti Mandhana remained unbeaten on 43 with Veda Krishnamurthy on 13, as India sealed an easy victory.
The visitors, who chose to bowl first got off to a harrowing start, losing two wickets in just eight balls. A brief 33-run stand for the third wicket revived their innings, but once the stand was ended by Ekta Bisht, the fall of wickets continued unabated. Sri Lanka lost four more wickets for just 11 runs and were in a danger of being bowled out well inside the allotted 20 overs when a desperate partnership of 39 runs helped them survive.
The Indian bowlers once again had an impressive outing. The all-round show augurs well for the Indian team who are looking to make a big impact at the ICC World T20 to be played in India.
This was India’s third whitewash in a T20I series. Earlier, they beat Bangladesh on two occasions with a similar margin.
Brief scores: Sri Lanka Women 89/9 in 20 overs (Eshani Lokusuriyage 20 not out, Ekta Bisht 3/17, Anuja Patil 2/19) lost to India Women 91/1 in 20 overs (Smriti Mandhana 43 not out, Vellaswamy Vanitha 34) by 9 wickets
