India Women defeated Sri Lanka Women by 30 runs in the fourth T20I of the five-match series at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. After being invited to bat first, India Women posted a huge total of 221/2 in 20 overs. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma struck blazing half-centuries to give India a flying start. Richa Ghosh then finished the Indian innings with another fierce knock.
In reply, Hasini Perera and Chamari Athapaththu provided Sri Lanka Women with a strong start. However, Vaishnavi Sharma (2/24 in 4 overs) and Arundhati Reddy (2/42 in 4 overs) picked up crucial wickets and slowed the scoring rate in the middle overs. In the end, Sri Lanka Women fell 30 runs short in the chase and lost the match. With this victory, India Women now lead the series 4-0.
Mandhana and Shafali dominate with historic opening stand
Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma laid the foundation with a breathtaking opening partnership. The duo added 162 runs from just 92 balls, which became India’s highest opening stand in women’s T20Is.
Shafali continued her excellent form and struck her third consecutive T20I half-century. Mandhana, who had scored only 40 runs across the first three matches, made a stunning return to form. During the innings, she also became the leading run-scorer in women’s internationals in a calendar year, reaching 1,703 runs.
India raced to 61 without loss in the powerplay, smashing 12 boundaries early on. ShafIali focused on timing and placement. Interestingly, her first six came only after she crossed fifty, when she lofted the ball over long-off in the 11th over. She ended her innings with 12 fours and a six.
Mandhana started quickly, moving to 24 off 14 balls. Her scoring slowed briefly, as she reached 28 off 24, but she soon shifted gears. She brought up her fifty from 35 deliveries and then attacked relentlessly, stepping out to spinners and driving straight with confidence. Her knock included 11 fours and three sixes.
Middle overs swing match firmly India’s way
The match decisively turned in India’s favour between the 11th and 13th overs. India scored 15 runs in the 11th over, followed by 20 in the 12th and 18 in the 13th. Each of these overs included two boundaries and a six.
In just two overs, India surged from 85 without loss to 120. Sri Lanka’s hopes of limiting the damage disappeared quickly. India crossed 150 in only 14.2 overs, comfortably surpassing the Sri Lankan captain’s pre-match view that 140 would be a competitive total.
Richa Ghosh delivers brutal finish
Sri Lanka finally broke the opening stand after 92 balls and struck again in the 17th over. However, any chance of pulling things back ended when Richa Ghosh walked in.
With Jemimah Rodrigues sidelined due to a mild fever, Harleen Deol came into the XI, and India promoted Ghosh to No. 3 for the closing overs. The move worked perfectly. Having faced just one ball in the series before this match, Ghosh smashed 40 runs from only 16 balls. She also added an unbeaten 53-run partnership with Harmanpreet Kaur.
Ghosh began confidently, hitting her second ball for four over Nimasha Meepage’s head. After a quieter 17th over, she attacked the same bowler again with two more boundaries. Her most damaging assault came against Kavisha Dilhari in the 19th over. Ghosh hammered three sixes and a four, collecting 23 runs and pushing India to a commanding total.
Perera and Athapaththu launch aggressive chase
Sri Lanka started their chase with intent. Hasini Perera took charge early, striking three boundaries off Renuka Singh’s opening over. Arundhati Reddy, returning in place of the rested Kranti Gaud, conceded 17 runs in the second over.
After four overs, Sri Lanka were flying at 52 without loss. The opening pair of Perera and Chamari Athapaththu added 59 runs from 34 balls. Athapaththu hit the first six of the chase by charging down the track against Deepti Sharma.
Both left-handers punished loose deliveries. However, Perera fell in the sixth over, miscuing Arundhati’s offcutter to Harmanpreet Kaur at mid-off.
Athapaththu fights on but target proves too steep
Athapaththu continued to keep Sri Lanka in the contest. She added 57 runs from 46 balls with Imesha Dulani for the second wicket. Her innings gathered pace quickly, as she moved from 20 off 15 balls to a fifty in the next 19 deliveries. During this phase, she struck three sixes and three fours.
Her resistance ended in the 13th over when she mistimed a lofted shot and was caught by Mandhana at long-off off Vaishnavi Sharma’s bowling. At that point, Sri Lanka still needed 106 runs from 42 balls. Despite a few late cameo appearances, the chase never fully recovered.
Vaishnavi impresses with smart bowling
In a match dominated by batters, Vaishnavi Sharma stood out with the ball. She finished with two wickets for just 24 runs and played a key role in slowing Sri Lanka’s momentum.
Introduced after the powerplay, she initially bowled wide of off stump to draw mistakes. Gradually, she tightened her line, attacked the stumps, and used variations effectively against the left-handers. After dismissing Athapaththu, she also removed Harshitha Samarawickrama, who scored a quick 20 off 13 balls and looked dangerous.
Her control and changes of pace helped India manage the chase and seal another comprehensive victory.
Brief Scorecard
