Harmanpreet fires as India complete 5-0 sweep. India were extended further than they have done at any stage this series but still completed a 5-0 series win over Sri Lanka with victory in the final T20I at Trivandrum – the first time they have achieved a sweep of this length in a bilateral T20I series at home. Other than a better showing with the bat from their opposition, there were stiffer tests that came their way – occasional inabilities at the top of the order, a moist ball when they defended but challenges they prevailed through remained as home side winners by 15 runs.
The win was laid out for them by the captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who had not scored more than 21 in any innings of the series so far but faced a challenging situation, paved it with a blistering 43-ball 68. Opting to bat, India were in a spot of bother early at 27 for 2 as debutant G Kamalini (for rested Smriti Mandhana) perished after the in-form Shafali Verma. In the 10th over, India also lost Harleen Deol and Richa Ghosh and were floundering for any kind of momentum.
But Harmanpreet stepped up to the occasion with a dominant knock that combined caution with aggression. She struck nine fours and a six, and was especially fluent when playing the field against the left-arm spinners. Despite Harmanpreet holding the innings together, India required some late power from a pair of 20s by Arundhati Reddy and Amanjot Kaur to give it momentum. Arundhati in particular hit 27 off 11 balls as India scored 66 in the last five overs to reach a total of 175.
In pursuit of 176, Sri Lanka posted their most confident batting effort of the series, underpinned by a superb 79-run stand off 56 balls between Hasini Perera and Imesha Dulani for the second wicket. Perera, who was playing her 81st T20I, finally struck her first fifty in the format and so too did Dulani as the visitors raced to keep up with the target.
Things went downhill soon after and, when Amanjot Kaur removed Dulani with her first delivery the partnership was finally broken, to swinging momentum. Perera kept battling and threatening to pull off a supermarket heist of improbable proportions.
But after clubbing a four and a six off Sree Charani, she was comprehensively bowled by the left-arm spinner with a full delivery which sneaked under Perera’s bat to disturb her timbers. Between then, Deepti Sharma pounced on Nilakshi Silva to overhaul Megan Schutt as the format’s leading wicket-taker.
Those back-end wickets meant that Sri Lanka required 34 off the last two overs. They came close, but just not quite and in enough numbers to give India enough jitters on the night.
Brief scores:India 175/7 in 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 68, Arundhati Reddy 27*; Kavisha Dilhari 2-11) beat Sri Lanka 160/7 in 20 overs (Hasini Perera 65, Imesha Dulani 50; Deepti Sharma 1-28) by 15 runs