Thiruvananthapuram: Bowlers produced a spotless effort after skipper Harmanpreet Kaur led the way with a doughty 68 as dominant India defeated Sri Lanka by 15 runs in the fifth T20I to complete a 5-0 whitewash, here on Tuesday.
Harmanpreet’s first fifty of the series came at an important juncture in the game when India were left struggling at 77/5, as her 43-ball knock took the hosts to 175/5.
Sri Lanka responded with half-centuries from opener Hasini Perera (65) and Imesha Dulani (50) but failed to find the flourish towards the end, finishing at 160 for seven. India thus capped an exceptional World Cup-winning year on a bright note.
Despite losing their skipper Chamari Athapaththu (2) early in the chase, Sri Lanka responded with a second-wicket partnership of 79 runs between Perera and Dulani which kept them in hunt.
Both Perera and Dulani batted with conviction to regularly find boundaries and rotated the strike well, but the failure to clear the ropes during their 56-ball association also meant that Sri Lanka remained slightly behind the asking rate.
Sri Lanka No. 3 Dulani cracked eight fours in her 39-ball innings and Perera held one end strongly with her 42-ball knock, but a slip-up in the form of wickets in cluster saw the required run rate moving past 13 per over.
Sri Lanka needed a big finish in the second half which they could not produce, as Indian spinners Deepti Sharma (1/28) and Vaishnavi Sharma (1/33) bowled stifling spells.
Amanjot Kaur (1/17) dismissed Dulani in the 12th over to give India the opening and Deepti capitalised on it.
Deepti trapped Nilakshika Silva leg-before in the 14th over to become the leading wicket-taker in women’s T20Is with her 152nd dismissal in 134 matches at 18.62, going past Australia’s Megan Schutt (151 wickets in 123 matches at 16.57).
Perera’s fall in the 17th over shut the doors on the Islanders.
Earlier, a resolute knock from skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (68) and a late assault from Arundhati Reddy (27 not out) took India to a competitive total. India were left tottering at 77/5 after 10 overs.