Shafali Verma's explosive batting and disciplined bowling led by Renuka Singh and Deepti Sharma propelled India Women to another dominant victory over Sri Lanka Women in the third T20I, securing the five-match series with an unassailable 3-0 lead. The match, held on Friday at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, saw India win by eight wickets.
India's captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, won the toss and elected to field first. The decision immediately paid dividends as the Indian bowlers restricted Sri Lanka to a modest 112/7 in their 20 overs. Renuka Singh, making her first appearance in the series, spearheaded the attack with an impressive four-wicket haul, while Deepti Sharma, returning after missing the second match due to illness, contributed with three wickets.
Sri Lanka's innings saw a brief resistance from Imesha Dulani (27) and Kavisha Dilhari (20), who put together a 40-run partnership. Kaushini Nuthyangana added an unbeaten 19, but the Sri Lankan batting lineup struggled to build momentum against India's tight bowling attack. Renuka Singh finished with 4/21, and Deepti Sharma registered 3/18. With these three wickets, Deepti Sharma became the joint-highest wicket-taker in Women's T20Is, equaling Australia's Megan Schutt with 151 wickets. She also became the first woman to take 150 wickets in both T20I and ODI cricket. Deepti now has 333 wickets in women's international cricket across all formats, surpassing Ellyse Perry (331 wickets) to become the third-highest wicket-taker, behind Jhulan Goswami (355) and Katherine Sciver-Brunt (335).
Chasing a target of 113, India's Shafali Verma dominated the innings with a whirlwind knock of 79* off just 42 balls. Her aggressive batting display included 11 fours and 3 sixes, ensuring India reached the target with 40 balls to spare. Verma's half-century came in just 24 balls, making it the joint third-fastest fifty for India in Women's T20Is. During her innings, Shafali Verma also became the third-highest run-scorer for India in Women's T20Is, surpassing Mithali Raj. Smriti Mandhana fell early, scoring just one run, and Jemimah Rodrigues contributed 9 runs. Harmanpreet Kaur remained not out on 21 off 18 balls.
Shafali Verma's fifty was her 13th in T20Is, the most by any cricketer before the age of 22. She also became the second Indian, after Smriti Mandhana, to score a fifty inside the powerplay in a T20I innings.
The win showcased India's all-round strength, with both the batting and bowling units performing exceptionally well. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, struggled to find their rhythm throughout the match. The fourth match of the series will be played at the same venue on Sunday.
