Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 26 Pacer Renuka Singh Thakur claimed four wickets on her return to the T20I side as India restricted Sri Lanka to 112/7 in the third game of the five-match series at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday.
Renuka finished with figures of 4-21, her fourth four-wicket haul in the format, while off-spin bowling all-rounder Deepti Sharma took 3-18 as Sri Lanka's batting struggles continued after being asked to bat first for the third consecutive time in the series.
Sri Lanka started brightly, but their innings deteriorated rapidly, with only a 40-run partnership between Imesha Dulani (27) and Kavisha Dilhari (20) providing resistance. Late contributions from Kaushini Nuthyangana (19 not out) helped Sri Lanka reach a respectable total, though one well below par.
Sri Lanka began with Hasini Perera bringing out drives, sweep and scoops to fetch four boundaries in the first four overs. Captain Chamari Athapaththu struggled under pressure before falling to Deepti, giving mid-off a simple catch.
Renuka recovered from an expensive opening over to become the pick of India's bowlers by dismissing Hasini, Harshitha Samarawickrama, and Nilakshika Silva to leave Sri Lanka at 45/4 in 9.3 overs. From there, Imesha and Kavisha hit six boundaries between themselves in an enterprising partnership which Sri Lanka badly needed.
But Kavisha fell in the 14th over – holing out to deep mid-wicket off Deepti, who became the first-ever cricketer across the men’s and women’s game to do the double of 1000 runs and 150 wickets in T20Is. An over later, Renuka’s slower ball accounted for Imesha, who slashed to backward point.
With the dismissal of Malsha Shehani, Deepti became the joint-highest wicket-taker in women’s T20I history, drawing level with Australia’s Megan Schutt on 151 wickets. It took two boundaries from Kaushini in the fag end of the innings to take Sri Lanka past the 110-run mark. India is expected to chase down the modest target comfortably, having won the opening two matches and sealed an easy series win.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka Women 112/7 in 20 overs (Imesha Dulani 27, Hasini Perera 25; Renuka Singh Thakur 4-21, Deepti Sharma 3-18) against India Women
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