India Women Dominate Sri Lanka in One-Sided T20I Series
Thiruvananthapuram: The Indian women’s cricket team delivered one of its most commanding performances in recent years, sealing the five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka with emphatic authority at the Greenfield Stadium on Tuesday night. Despite a spirited effort from the visitors in the final match, where they reduced the margin of defeat to 15 runs, the series underlined the gulf in quality between the two sides.
India won the series convincingly, with earlier victories coming by margins of eight wickets, seven wickets, eight wickets and 30 runs. Sri Lanka’s improved showing in the final game, however, offered encouragement for the young side and marked a respectable farewell for coach Rumesh Ratnayake, who oversaw notable recent successes including a T20I series win in England and an Asia Cup final victory over India.
India rested key players Smriti Mandhana and Renuka Singh for the final match, yet still controlled proceedings, highlighting growing bench strength. With Shafali Verma dismissed early after a run of three consecutive fifties, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur stepped up with a composed captain’s knock. The match also allowed all-rounders Amanjot Kaur and Arundhati Reddy to reinforce their value in stabilising the innings and contributing with the ball.
Deepti Sharma emerged as a standout performer across the series. While her batting was largely untested, her bowling exploits were historic. She became the leading wicket-taker in women’s T20I cricket, surpassing Australia’s Megan Schutt by claiming her 152nd wicket in the final match.
The series also saw the debut of left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma, who impressed after rising through domestic and junior cricket rather than the WPL pathway.
Our Final Thoughts
The Sri Lanka series confirmed India Women are building depth, resilience and versatility, key traits as preparations intensify for the T20 World Cup next year.