Sri Lanka suffer third defeat

India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, outclassed Sri Lanka in both batting and bowling to secure an 82-run victory in their ICC T20 World Cup match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium yesterday.

This marked Sri Lanka’s third consecutive defeat, ending their hopes of advancing, with only one group match left against New Zealand.

Chasing 173, Sri Lanka Women struggled right from the start. Opener Vishmi Gunaratne fell for a duck, caught brilliantly by substitute fielder Radha Yadav off fast bowler Renuka Singh. Captain Chamari Athapaththu, who has failed with the bat for the third match in a row, managed only 1 run before being dismissed by off-spinner Shreyanka Patil. With Harshitha Samarawickrama also dismissed cheaply, Sri Lanka found themselves at 6 for 3 wickets within the first three overs, a disastrous start to their chase.

Kavisha Dilhari (21) and Anushka Sanjeewani (20) put on a 37-run stand, but the rest of the batting lineup crumbled, and Sri Lanka was bowled out for 90 in 19.5 overs. Indian bowlers Arundhathi Reddy and Asha Sobhana each took 3 wickets, controlling the game with tight bowling and sharp fielding. Harmanpreet Kaur was named Player of the Match for her quickfire 52, helping India move to second place in the points table with semi-final hopes.

Earlier, Indian openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana set the platform with a 98-run stand in 12.4 overs. The left-handed Mandhana hit her 27th T20I fifty in 36 balls, striking 4 fours and a six before being run out. Verma contributed 43 runs off 40 balls, with 4 fours, before being dismissed by Sri Lankan captain Athapaththu.

Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, batting at number three, and Jemimah Rodrigues tried to stabilise the innings. Kaur played a captain’s knock, scoring 52 runs off the last ball, helping India reach a total of 172 for 3 wickets in 20 overs. She hit 8 fours and a six in her 27-ball innings to entertain the crowd at Dubai Stadium. She did not take the field due to a previous injury; vice-captain Mandhana led during the fielding session.

Sri Lanka’s Women’s team made one change, replacing Ama Kanchana for Hasini Perera, while India fielded an unchanged side.

Chief scores

India Women 172 for 3 wickets in 20 overs Shafali Verma 43, Smriti Mandhana 50, Harmanpreet Kaur 52*, Jemima Rodrigues 16, Chamari Athapaththu 1/34, Ama Kanchana 1/29

Sri Lanka Women 90 all out in 19.5 overs Kavisha Dilhari 21, Anushka Sanjeewani 20,Ama Kanchana 19,Renuka Singh 2/16, Arundhathi Reddy 3/19 , Asha Sobhana 3/19