5th Women’s T20I: Sri Lanka bowl out India for 156

India Women 156 (Rodrigues 46, Kaur 63; Priyadarshani 3/24, Siriwardene 3/19).

Jemimah Rodrigues (46 in 31 balls, six fours, one six) and Harmanpreet Kaur (63 in 38 balls, three fours, five sixes) blasted the Sri Lankan bowlers to add 75 off a mere 43 balls for the third wicket in the fifth T20 International, at Free Trade Zone Sports Complex, Katunayake. But the Sri Lankans hit back, taking 43 balls to pick up the remaining eight wickets, Shashikala Siriwardene and Inoshi Priyadarshani picking up three wickets each. India Women collapsed to 156.

Kaur, who had relinquished her No. 4 position to Taniya Bhatia throughout the series, decided to promote herself, and she and Rodrigues exploded in a third-wicket stand of 75 off a mere 43 balls. They went after Nilakshi de Silva in the ninth over, taking twenty between them. Kaur hit two more sixes off Oshadi Ranasinghe, in the 11th over. Rodrigues fell next over, caught-behind off Siriwardene. She finished the series with 191 runs at 64 and a strike rate of 155.

Earlier, Sri Lanka picked up two quick wickets after Chamari Atapattu opted to bowl. Smriti Mandhana‘s woeful form continued as she fell for a duck, caught by Priyadarshani off Sripali Weerakkody. Mandhana finished the series with 11 runs at 2.75. Atapattu herself bowled Mithali Raj (12) in the fourth over.

Kaur decided to give Veda Krishnamurthy practice as well (Anuja Patil had batted at five in the previous match), but she fell for eight, caught Atapattu off Priyadarshani. Kaur brought up her fifty two balls later, and two balls after that, Patil was trapped leg-before. The rest of the wickets fell in a heap.

India already have a 3-0 lead in the series, which has reduced the final T20I to a dead rubber.

Brief scores:

India Women 156 in 18.3 overs (Jemimah Rodrigues 46, Harmanpreet Kaur 63; Inoshi Priyadarshani 3 for 24, Shashikala Siriwardene 3 for 19) vs Sri Lanka Women.