IND-W win 3rd T20I against Sri Lanka, seal series: Stats
What's the story
India Women have clinched the five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka Women with a commanding eight-wicket victory in the third match at Thiruvananthapuram. The Indian bowlers, led by Renuka Thakur (4/21) and Deepti Sharma (3/18), restricted Sri Lanka to a modest total of 112 runs. Shafali Verma then led India's chase with an unbeaten 79 off just 42 balls, sealing the series with 40 balls to spare.
Bowling brilliance
India's bowling attack dominates Sri Lanka
India's bowlers put up a stellar performance, reducing Sri Lanka to 32 for 3 in the powerplay. Renuka was taken off after conceding 12 runs in her first over and replaced by Deepti Sharma. Deepti struck early, dismissing Chamari Athapaththu for just three runs. Despite some resistance from Imesha Dulani (27 off 32 balls) and Kavisha Dilhari (20 off 13), wickets fell regularly as India kept Sri Lanka on a tight leash throughout their innings.
Batting prowess
Shafali's explosive innings leads India to victory
Chasing a modest target, India lost Smriti Mandhana early but Shafali Verma took charge of the innings. She raced to 25 off 14 balls, hitting a six and two fours in the first over itself. Despite Jemimah Rodrigues's struggle for rhythm, who managed only nine runs off 15 balls before being dismissed by Dilhari, India cruised to victory with nearly seven overs remaining in their innings.
Deepti
Deepti Sharma becomes 2nd bowler with 150 WT20I wickets
Deepti completed 150 wickets in W20Is, becoming the 2nd bowler in the history of the game to do so. Not just that, Deepti is now the joint-highest wicket-taker in Women's T20Is. As per ESPNcricinfo, Deepti raced to 151 wickets from 131 matches (128 innings) at an average of 18.73. Australia's Megan Schutt is the only bowler to claim 150-plus wickets. She has managed 151 wickets from 123 matches at 17.70.
Renuka
Renuka Singh becomes 4th Indian with four-fer vs SL-W (T20Is)
Renuka, who claimed 4/21, now owns 62 wickets from 55 matches at 20.67. She claimed her 3rd four-wicket haul (5w: 1). Versus SL-W, Renuka owns 11 scalps from 8 games at 14.81, as per ESPNcricinfo. She picked up her maiden four-fer against SL-W. Renuka is now the 4th Indian bowler with a four-fer versus SL-W after DP David, Radha Yadav and Poonam Yadav.
Shafali
13th fifty for Shafali in WT20Is
Shafali creamed 11 fours and 2 sixes from 42 balls (SR: 188.10). In 93 matches, she has raced to 2,378 runs at 27.65. She hit her 13th fifty. Notably, she also surpassed 300 fours (304). Versus SL-W, Shafali has amassed 340 runs from 12 games at 34 (SR: 134.48). She recorded her 2nd fifty.