IND W vs SL W 3rd T20I: In the third and final T20I, Sri Lanka defeated India with seven wickets and 18 balls remaining thanks to Chamari Athapaththu’s unbroken effort of 80 runs. The veteran opening hitter was beyond the ability of the Indian bowlers to contain. India scored 138/5 in 20 overs forced by an unbeaten 39 from Harmanpreet Kaur. Jemimah Rodrigues scored 33 runs.
India won the toss and decided to bat against Sri Lanka in the third and final women’s T20I on Monday at Dambulla, they quickly found themselves in trouble. Shafali Verma was gone early for India, and after hitting 22 runs. Smriti Mandhana and Sabbhineni Meghana were unable to add any runs. In addition to losing their top three, India was having run-rate issues and was in desperate need for the middle order to step up if they were to record a winning total. India maintained an unchanged starting lineup, while hosts Sri Lanka made two changes, replacing Hasini Perera and Udeshika Prabodhani with Malsha Shehani and Ama Kanchana, respectively. India posted 138 runs for Srilanka to chase.
The early departure of Vishmi Gunaratne caused Sri Lankan nerves to fray a little bit as they attempted to chase after 139 once again. Before Chamari and Nilakshi De Silva put up a record-breaking 77-run third-wicket stand for Sri Lanka, Harshitha Madavi stabilized the situation. The hosts’ stunning 48-ball, undefeated 80 by Athapaththu basically gave them the victory and gave them the chance to head home.
The Indian batting attempts were paced poorly, especially on a pitch that offered nothing to the bowlers. For once, the Indian bowlers were found wanting. Despite being a 2-1 series victory, it has only raised further concerns for the Indian team in advance of the Commonwealth Games at the end of this month.
The losing captain Harmanpreet Kaur talked about the team’s loss as she said “Sri Lanka deserved this win, especially with the way they batted. We had partnerships, but we needed a better strike rate. Thanks to the crowd for coming and supporting women’s cricket.”
The winning captain Chamari Athapaththu and also the Player of the match talked about how she felt about the win. “This win is really good for us because we have an inexperienced side with young players. I tried to control the game. India is a good, experienced side, but we played to our potential today. Thank you to all the fans for coming – this is special for me because this is close to my hometown.”
Player Of The Match: Chamari Athapaththu
Player Of The Series: Harmanpreet Kaur
IND W vs SL W 3rd T20I: India Loses 3rd T20I Against Srilanka, Misses Cleansweep
