SRI LANKAN WOMEN WHITEWASHED BY INDIAN WOMEN 5-0 IN T20 Bilateral Series

SRI LANKAN WOMEN WHITEWASHED BY INDIAN WOMEN 5-0 IN T20 Bilateral Series – By Sunil Thenabadu

After the horrible showing in the women’ s World Cup ODI Women’s series an article was written by me with the caption-Our Women’s cricket team need an immediate revamp. The selectors for the Indian tour had appropriately axed a few ageing cricketers had included a few younger player.But still there are enough younger women cricketers playing for many clubs like the Colts CC who could be groomed.The selectors should remember our U 19 women’s team beat the U 19 Australian team 5/0 also the Malasiya U-19 women’s team comprehensively . In this scenario there is ample talent to groom a formidable women’s team In the women’s team that toured India forty year old Inoka Ranaweera was included who did not fair well at all. She has lost her fire not performing unlike in her younger days.

The first three T 20’s were lost badly by 8 wickets in the 1st and 2nd T 20’s and the third by 7 wickets having been sent into bat with plenty of overs remaining. It need to be emphasised that having won the toss in the 4th and 5th T 20’s asking India to bat Sri Lanka came back strongly losing by 30 and 15 runs respectively, The newcomers Rashmila, Meepage, Kawya did very well with the ball while Imesha batted very well The aggressive batting of opener Hasini.need to be applauded having scored consistently including her maiden half century in T 20’s.As a keen follower of Sri Lankan cricket watched all five T 20’s live breaking rest from 11.30 pm Brisbane time.The blunders that cost us the last two T 20’s was in the 5th T 20 Chamari dropped a sitter at mid off when Indian skipper Hamanpreet had just come in. Also Chamari gave the 20th over to bowled to Malki Madara. Who was lacklustre , when Arunndati Reddy used the long handle to score over 20 runs.If this was avoided we could have won the 5th T 20 game. In the 4th T20 was our bowlers were hammered to all parts of the ground by the openers Smrithi and Shafi to amass a record opening partnership of 152 runs. When the opening duo was in full command Chamari opted herself to bowl was slogged for 30 runs in her two overs.When her chance came to bat she succumbed early for just two runs when a long innings was expected of her.Chamari has now lost her early sting looks tentative when batting while her partner Hasini bats with confidence scoring three boundaries in the first over.The reports of the 4th and 5th T 20 are appended below for the benefit of interested readers .

SRI LANKA LOSE AGAIN INDIA GO UP 4-0 BUT NOT ASHAMED LOSING BY 30 RUNS AFTER INDIAN TOP ORDER RAN RIOT

SRI LANKAN WOMEN WHITEWASHED BY INDIAN WOMEN 5-0 IN T20 Bilateral Series

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Mandhana, Shafali and Ghosh help India edge run-fest to go 4-0 up

Both India and Sri Lanka posted their highest T20I scores after three one-sided low-scoring games

India 221 for 2 (Mandhana 80, Shafali 79, Ghosh 40*) beat Sri Lanka 191 for 6 (Athapaththu 52, Perera 33, Vaishnavi 2-24) by 30 runs

After three one-sided, low-scoring encounters, the fourth T20I between India and Sri Lanka exploded into a run-fest in Thiruvananthapuram, with both sides posting their highest totals in women’s T20Is. India’s big score of 221 for 2 proved too much for Sri Lanka, who fell short by 30 runs, handing the hosts a 4-0 series lead with one match remaining. India missed two catching opportunities and a stumping chance, while Sri Lanka gave away three, but the batting dominance was decisive.

Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma set the tone with blistering half-centuries to power India’s innings, while Chamari Athapaththu kept Sri Lanka in the chase with a fighting 52. Despite a few late cameo efforts, the visitors couldn’t overcome India’s dominant batting display.

Shafali and Mandhana delivered a masterclass in aggressive opening batting, putting together 162 runs off just 92 balls – the highest opening partnership for India in women’s T20Is. Shafali continued her purple patch with a third successive T20I half-century, while Mandhana, who had managed only 40 runs in the first three matches, roared back to form. The innings also saw Mandhana climb to the top of the charts for most runs (1,703) in women’s internationals in a calendar year, underlining her dominance.

India’s openers were relentless from the outset, racing to 61 without loss in the powerplay with 12 boundaries. Shafali’s innings was built on control and placement – her first six came only after her fifty, a loft over long-off in the 11th over – and she finished with 12 fours and a six.

Mandhana, meanwhile, struck 11 fours and three sixes, though her innings briefly dipped in tempo. After racing to 24 off 14 balls, she moved to 28 off 24 during a short lull before accelerating sharply to reach her half-century off 35 deliveries. From there, she cut loose, using the feet to loft the spinners and driving straight with authority.

The contest decisively tilted in overs 11 to 13, when India tore into the attack. The 11th over went for 15 runs, followed by a 20-run 12th and an 18-run 13th, each featuring two fours and a six. Any hopes Sri Lanka had of restricting the damage vanished as India surged from 85 for no loss to 120 in just two overs.

India brought up 150 in only 14.2 overs, making light of the Sri Lanka captain’s assessment at the toss that 140 would be a competitive total.

Sri Lanka had to wait 92 balls for their first breakthrough and struck again in the following over, the 17th, but any momentum was swiftly snuffed out by Richa Ghosh. With Harleen Deol replacing Jemimah Rodrigues, who was recovering from a mild fever, India promoted Ghosh to No. 3 for the death overs – a move that paid rich dividends. Having faced just one delivery in the series before this match, Ghosh made an impact, blasting 40 off 16 balls and adding an unbroken 53-run stand with Harmanpreet Kaur.

Ghosh announced herself by heaving her second ball over Nimasha Meepage’s head for four. After a relatively quiet 17th over, she found her range against the same bowler, striking two more boundaries. The onslaught peaked against Kavisha Dilhari, one of Sri Lanka’s more experienced bowlers, as Ghosh went into overdrive. She smoked three sixes and a four to plunder 23 runs from the 19th over, punishing anything in her hitting arc and underlining India’s ruthless finish.

Sri Lanka began their chase aggressively, with Hasini Perera taking charge. She tore into Renuka Singh’s first over, hitting three boundaries, while Arundhati Reddy, making a comeback in place of the rested Kranti Gaud, conceded 17 off the second over. By the end of four, Sri Lanka had raced to 52 for 0, with the opening stand between Perera and Athapaththu putting on 59 runs off 34 balls.Athapaththu struck the chase’s first six, charging down the track and clearing long-off off Deepti Sharma in the third over. Both left-handers punished anything too full or short, though Perera fell in the sixth over, holing out to Harmanpreet at mid-off off Reddy’s off cutter.

Athapaththu kept the momentum going, adding 57 runs off 46 balls with Imesha Dulani for the second wicket. Athapaththu moved from 20 off 15 balls to fifty in the next 19 deliveries, hitting three sixes and as many fours. However, her innings ended when she mistimed a charge over the off side, gifting a catch to Mandhana at long-off off Vaishnavi Sharma. At that stage, Sri Lanka needed 106 runs from 42 balls. Despite a few late cameos, the chase fell short.

On a night dominated by big scores, Vaishnavi emerged as the standout bowler, picking up two crucial wickets for just 24 runs. Introduced into the attack after the powerplay, she began by floating the ball outside off stump to entice the batters before gradually attacking the stumps and testing the left-handers with clever variations.

After dismissing Athapaththu in the 13th over, she also removed Harshitha Samarawickrama for a 13-ball 20 in the 17th, when the batter looked threatening. Her disciplined lines and sharp changes of pace helped India keep Sri Lanka’s scoring in check.

India Women (20 ovs maximum) Asked to Bat
Batting R B M 4s 6s SR
Smriti Mandhana
c Dulani b Shehani
80 48 66 11 3 166.66
Shafali Verma
c & b Meepage
79 46 61 12 1 171.73
Richa Ghosh †
not out 40 16 24 4 3 250.00
Harmanpreet Kaur (c)
not out 16 10 19 1 1 160.00
Extras (lb 4, w 2) 6
Total
20 Ov
(RR: 11.05)
221/2
Did not bat:
Harleen Deol,
Deepti Sharma,
Amanjot Kaur,
Arundhati Reddy,
Vaishnavi Sharma,
Shree Charani,
Renuka Singh
Fall of wickets: 1-162 (Shafali Verma, 15.2 ov), 2-168 (Smriti Mandhana, 16.1 ov) •
DRS
Bowling O M R W ECON 0s 4s 6s WD NB
Malsha Shehani
4 0 32
1
8.00 7 5 0 0 0
Kawya Kavindi
4 0 43 0 10.75 8 5 2 2 0
Kavisha Dilhari
4 0 47 0 11.75 5 4 3 0 0
Rashmika Sewwandi
2 0 25 0 12.50 4 4 1 0 0
Chamari Athapaththu
2 0 30 0 15.00 1 4 1 0 0
Nimasha Meepage
4 0 40
1
10.00 7 6 1 0 0
Sri Lanka Women (T: 222 runs from 20 ovs)
Batting R B M 4s 6s SR
Hasini Perera
c H Kaur b Reddy
33 20 24 7 0 165.00
Chamari Athapaththu (c)
c Mandhana b Vaishnavi Sharma
52 37 55 3 3 140.54
Imesha Dulani
run out (AB Kaur/Sharma)
29 28 42 3 0 103.57
Harshitha Samarawickrama
st †Ghosh b Vaishnavi Sharma
20 13 16 1 1 153.84
Kavisha Dilhari
c sub (G Kamalini) b Reddy
13 8 13 1 0 162.50
Nilakshika Silva
not out 23 11 17 4 0 209.09
Rashmika Sewwandi
b Shree Charani
5 4 5 1 0 125.00
Kaushini Nuthyangana †
not out 5 2 2 1 0 250.00
Extras (b 5, lb 1, nb 3, w 2) 11
Total
20 Ov
(RR: 9.55)
191/6
Did not bat:
Malsha Shehani,
Kawya Kavindi,
Nimasha Meepage
Fall of wickets: 1-59 (Hasini Perera, 5.3 ov), 2-116 (Chamari Athapaththu, 12.5 ov), 3-140 (Imesha Dulani, 15.1 ov), 4-147 (Harshitha Samarawickrama, 16.2 ov), 5-170 (Kavisha Dilhari, 18.2 ov), 6-185 (Rashmika Sewwandi, 19.3 ov) •
DRS
Bowling O M R W ECON 0s 4s 6s WD NB
Renuka Singh
3 0 32 0 10.66 8 7 0 0 0
Arundhati Reddy
4 0 42
2
10.50 8 7 0 1 1
Deepti Sharma
4 0 31 0 7.75 7 2 1 0 0
Vaishnavi Sharma
4 0 24
2
6.00 9 1 0 1 1
Amanjot Kaur
1 0 10 0 10.00 2 0 1 0 0
Shree Charani
4 0 46
1
11.50 4 4 2 0 1

INDIA COMPLETES A CLEAN SWEEP 5-0 WHITEWASH BUT SRI LANKA LOSE ONLY BY 15 RUNS

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Harmanpreet leads the way as India complete 5-0 sweep over SL

India were struggling at 77 for 5 before Harmanpreet’s 43-ball 68 took India to a match-winning 175

India 175 for 7 (Harmanpreet 68, Dilhari 2-11) beat Sri Lanka 160 for 7 (Perera 65, Dulhani 50, Reddy 1-16) by 15 runs

India completed a dominant series sweep over Sri Lanka, clinching the fifth and final T20I in Thiruvananthapuram by 15 runs. Posting 175 for 7 thanks to a commanding 68 from Harmanpreet Kaur, India’s bowlers then restricted Sri Lanka to 160 for 7 despite fighting half-centuries from Hasini Perera and Imesha Dulani, sealing a comprehensive victory.

During the course of the match, Deepti Sharma became the leading wicket-taker in women’s T20Is with 152 scalps, surpassing Australia’s Megan Schutt. This was India’s third 5-0 sweep in T20Is, following similar clean sweeps against West Indies in 2019 and Bangladesh in 2024. India and England are the only teams with three whitewashes of five-match series in women’s T20Is.

Sri Lanka strike early with the ball

Unlike the fourth match, when India raced to 61 without loss in the powerplay, Sri Lanka struck early on Tuesday despite little help for spinners from the pitch. Shafali Verma, coming off a hat-trick of half-centuries, was dismissed for 5 by left-arm spinner Nimisha Meepage once again, from around the wicket, lofting a catch to long-on. Debutant G Kamalini, who replaced Smriti Mandhana, was trapped lbw after mistiming a sweep off Kavisha Dilhari’s first ball. With 40 for 2, India posted their lowest powerplay score in this series.

Soon after, the No.3 Harleen Deol was bowled by Rashmika Sewwandi. Two overs later, Richa Ghosh nicked one behind off Chamari Athapaththu’s offspin, leaving India 64 for 4 in the ninth over. Athapaththu struck again soon after, deceiving Deepti with her pace and flight as the left-hander top-edged a sweep to short fine leg, reducing India to 77 for

Harmanpreet arrived with India 24 for 2 in the fifth over and anchored the innings even as wickets fell around her, steering India to a competitive total. The India captain combined caution with intent to bring up her first T20I fifty since October 2024, reaching the milestone in 35 balls after moving from 10 off 9 with a flurry of boundaries.

She dominated the key contest against left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera, scoring 31 off 17 balls, including four fours and a six, with 94% control. It was a well-paced innings, marked by smart footwork against spin, as she took the game deep and scored all around the ground. Her innings ended with Dilhari’s clever arm ball that produced an inside edge and rattled the stumps. India were 142 for 7 in the 18th over.

Imesha Dulani and Hasini Perera put on 79 for the second wicket, India vs Sri Lanka, 5th women’s T20I, Thiruvananthapuram, December 30, 2025

India’s lower order steps up

India’s untested lower order played a key role in turning a modest total into a competitive one. Amanjot Kaur added stability, scoring 21 off 18 balls and putting on a 61-run partnership with Harmanpreet for the fifth wicket, helping the innings regain momentum after regular wickets fell.

After her dismissal, Arundhati Reddy – promoted ahead of Sneh Rana – launched a late assault, hitting four fours and a six off 11 balls for an unbeaten 27, guiding India to 175 for 7. The team scored 32 runs in the final two overs.

Perera, Dulhani fifties in vain

With Chamari Athapaththu gone in the second over, Perera and Dulhani faced a daunting task. Dulhani, coming in at No. 3 again ahead of Harshitha Samarawickrama, played a confident innings, coming down the track and sweeping as needed, hitting five boundaries inside the powerplay. Perera rotated the strike well, keeping the scoreboard ticking. Aided by the dew, their 79-run second-wicket stand was broken in the 12th over when Amanjot dismissed Dulhani for 50, with her first ball.

Perera carried on, moving from 32 off 23 balls to register her maiden 38-ball fifty in her 89th T20I. Having debuted in 2014 and shuffled around the order, she opened this series for the first time in three years. When the equation came down to 55 off 24 balls, Perera struck a four and a six off Shree Charani before being yorked. Her 42-ball 65 included eight fours and a six.

When Sri Lanka needed 44 off 20 balls, India fought back hard. The visitors lost their key batters at the death, collapsing from 132 for 4 to 140 for 7, eventually falling short and remaining winless in India.

India Women (20 ovs maximum)PUT INTO BAT
Batting R B M 4s 6s SR
Shafali Verma
c Dulani b Meepage
5 6 6 1 0 83.33
Gunalan Kamalini
lbw b Dilhari
12 12 18 2 0 100.00
Harleen Deol
b Sewwandi
13 11 23 2 0 118.18
Harmanpreet Kaur (c)
b Dilhari
68 43 59 9 1 158.13
Richa Ghosh †
c †Kaushini Nuthyangana b Athapaththu
5 6 11 1 0 83.33
Deepti Sharma
c Meepage b Athapaththu
7 8 9 0 0 87.50
Amanjot Kaur
c Dilhari b Sewwandi
21 18 24 1 1 116.66
Arundhati Reddy
not out 27 11 15 4 1 245.45
Sneh Rana
not out 8 6 12 1 0 133.33
Extras (nb 1, w 8) 9
Total
20 Ov
(RR: 8.75)
175/7
Did not bat:
Shree Charani,
Vaishnavi Sharma
Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Shafali Verma, 1.1 ov), 2-27 (Gunalan Kamalini, 4.1 ov), 3-41 (Harleen Deol, 6.2 ov), 4-64 (Richa Ghosh, 8.3 ov), 5-77 (Deepti Sharma, 10.4 ov), 6-138 (Amanjot Kaur, 16.5 ov), 7-142 (Harmanpreet Kaur, 17.4 ov) •
DRS
Bowling O M R W ECON 0s 4s 6s WD NB
Malki Madara
4 0 37 0 9.25 11 6 1 1 0
Nimasha Meepage
3 0 25
1
8.33 5 4 0 0 0
Kavisha Dilhari
2 0 11
2
5.50 4 1 0 0 0
Inoka Ranaweera
4 0 39 0 9.75 6 4 1 1 1
Rashmika Sewwandi
4 0 42
2
10.50 7 4 1 6 0
Chamari Athapaththu
3 0 21
2
7.00 3 2 0 0 0
Sri Lanka Women (T: 176 runs from 20 ovs)
Batting R B M 4s 6s SR
Hasini Perera
b Shree Charani
65 42 79 8 1 154.76
Chamari Athapaththu (c)
c Sharma b Reddy
2 5 8 0 0 40.00
Imesha Dulani
c Shafali Verma b AB Kaur
50 39 40 8 0 128.20
Nilakshika Silva
lbw b Sharma
3 5 11 0 0 60.00
Kavisha Dilhari
b Vaishnavi Sharma
5 4 4 1 0 125.00
Harshitha Samarawickrama
c Deol b Rana
8 9 18 0 0 88.88
Kaushini Nuthyangana †
run out (H Kaur/Rana)
1 3 4 0 0 33.33
Rashmika Sewwandi
not out 14 8 9 2 0 175.00
Malki Madara
not out 5 5 8 0 0 100.00
Extras (b 4, w 3) 7

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