Colombo [Sri Lanka], May 11 : Team India delivered a commanding performance to seal the Women's ODI Tri-Series title, posting a daunting 342/7 before bundling out Sri Lanka Women for 245 in the final.
Speaking after the match, the Sri Lankan captain, Chamari Athapaththu didn't shy away from admitting her team's shortcomings on the day.
"First of all, congratulations to India, they played really well today. 300 plus is not easy to chase, we fought hard but we dropped some catches, and missed some runouts as well. Even our bowling unit struggled in the middle overs, but Smriti (Mandhana) batted really well," she said, praising India's batting effort, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
India's top-order flourished with Mandhana leading the charge, while the middle-order ensured the momentum never dipped. The Sri Lankan bowlers, on the other hand, failed to stem the run flow, especially during the crucial middle overs. Mandhana made a brilliant 116 off 101 deliveries.
Reflecting on her team's performance across the tournament, the Sri Lankan skipper highlighted fielding as a major concern.
"We have to improve our fielding, we dropped catches and missed runout chances throughout the tournament. SLC is trying to get new fielding coaches as well, so we need to work on it," she admitted.
Apart from the fielding woes, the Sri Lankan batting order lacked the firepower needed to chase down a mammoth target. Though there were moments of resistance, India's disciplined bowling attack never allowed any significant partnerships to flourish.
"We also need to improve our batting, we need some power-hitters, but work needs to be done before the World Cup," the skipper added, setting her sights on long-term goals.
Brief score: India Women 342/7 in 50 overs (Smriti Mandhana 116, Harleen Deol 47; Sugandika Kumari 2/59) vs. Sri Lanka Women 245 in 48.2 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 51, Nilakshika Silva 48; Sneh Rana 4/38).
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