3rd WT20I: Chamari Athapaththu urges Sri Lanka to improve batting
What's the story
Sri Lanka's captain Chamari Athapaththu has called on her team to step up their batting performance in the third Women's T20I against India. The match will be played at Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. After two back-to-back defeats in the five-match series, Sri Lanka are looking for a comeback. In the first two matches, they posted scores of 121 and 128 while batting first. Here are further details.
Improvement focus
Athapaththu highlights need for improvement
Athapaththu stressed on the need to improve their batting, especially in the middle order and finishing. "I feel we need to improve our batting a little bit, especially in our middle order and how we finish the game as a batting unit," she said to reporters on Thursday. The Sri Lankan captain also acknowledged that their power game isn't strong enough for this format of cricket.
Mutual respect
Athapaththu praises Harmanpreet Kaur
Athapaththu also praised her Indian counterpart Harmanpreet Kaur, calling her one of the best leaders in cricket. She said, "We are good friends... As a cricketer I know she is one of the best leaders because she is the girl who changed Indian cricket." The Sri Lankan captain recalled their time together during the Women's T20 Challenge and how Kaur managed people in the dressing room.
Series overview
India's dominance in the series
India have been dominant in both batting and bowling departments, winning the first two T20Is by eight wickets and seven wickets respectively. This is India's ninth victory in their last 11 T20Is against Sri Lanka. In both matches, different players have stepped up to lead the batting charge for India. The bowling unit has also been effective, with spinners restricting Sri Lanka's scores to 121/6 and 128/9 in two games.
Preview
3rd WT20I: India out to seal series
India will look to seal the five-match series against Sri Lanka in the third women's T20 International on Friday. Sri Lanka have struggled with their batting in both matches, failing to post competitive totals. They started off well but lost momentum as wickets fell in clusters toward the end of their innings. The second T20I saw a similar pattern. As per ESPNcricinfo, the two teams have met each other in 28 occasions. India have sealed 22 wins compared to Sri Lanka's 5. One game didn't have a result.