The Indian women's cricket team continued their dominant performance against Sri Lanka, securing a convincing 30-run victory in the fourth T20I at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. This win gives India an unassailable 4-0 lead in the five-match series. The architects of India's triumph were Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, who forged a record-breaking opening partnership.
Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to field first, a decision that backfired spectacularly. Mandhana and Verma capitalized on the opportunity, displaying aggressive intent from the outset. The duo's explosive batting redefined dominance, setting the highest-ever partnership for India Women in T20Is. Together, they amassed a staggering 162 runs, surpassing their own previous best of 143 against the West Indies in 2019. This was also the fourth time that Mandhana and Verma crossed the 100-run mark together.
Shafali Verma, who has been in superb form throughout the series, continued her impressive run, registering her third successive half-century. She scored a fluent 79 off 46 balls, studded with 12 fours and one six. Smriti Mandhana, after a relatively quiet series by her standards, looked comfortable at the crease and reached a major milestone, becoming only the fourth batter to complete 10,000 international runs across formats. Mandhana's innings of 80 came off 48 balls and included 11 fours and three sixes.
After the departure of the two openers, Richa Ghosh provided the late flourish with an unbeaten 40 off just 16 balls, propelling India to their highest-ever T20I total of 221/2. Harmanpreet Kaur also contributed with a quick-fire 16 not out. India's previous highest score in T20Is was 217/4, scored against the West Indies in Navi Mumbai last year.
In response, Sri Lanka started strongly, with Chamari Athapaththu and Hasini Perera putting on a 59-run opening stand. However, Arundhati Reddy provided the breakthrough by dismissing Perera for 33. Captain Chamari Athapaththu fought valiantly, top-scoring with 52 off 37 balls. However, the Sri Lankan innings lost momentum after the quick dismissals of Athapaththu and Imesha Dulani. Regular breakthroughs by the Indian bowlers ensured that the visitors fell short of the target, finishing at 191/6. Vaishnavi Sharma and Arundhati Reddy were the pick of the bowlers, claiming two wickets each.
With the series already in their bag, India made two changes to their XI, with Harleen Deol and Arundhati Reddy replacing Jemimah Rodrigues (due to fever) and Kranti Gaud (rested).
The fifth and final T20I will be played on Tuesday.
