Dominant top-order batting had set up India’s wins in four of the five T20Is against Sri Lanka. On Tuesday, in the fifth and final match at Thiruvananthapuram, other heroes emerged to help the hosts beat Sri Lanka by 15 runs and complete a 5–0 whitewash.
Chasing 176 runs to avoid a clean sweep, Sri Lanka lost captain Chamari Athapaththu cheaply for two runs, caught by Deepti Sharma at cover off Arundhati Reddy. It ended a difficult series for the southpaw, who amassed only 103 runs in five matches.
Hasini Perera and Imesha Dulani then laid the foundation, starting briskly but prioritising strike rotation over boundary-hitting. Their approach allowed India’s spinners to settle into a rhythm without needing to take undue risks. The pair paced the partnership smartly, choosing their moments to attack, and took Sri Lanka to 75 for 1 at the halfway stage.
With a platform in place, Sri Lanka needed quick runs to stay in touch with the required rate. Dulani provided the impetus by taking 11 runs off the 11th over from Vaishnavi Sharma and brought up her half-century soon after. However, she overreached in the following over, finding Shafali Verma at extra cover to give Amanjot Kaur her first wicket.
The onus was on Perera to drive the innings forward, but the southpaw could not clear the boundaries as frequently as she would have liked. Deepti broke the growing stand between Perera and Nilakshika Silva, dismissing the latter lbw for three to become the leading wicket-taker in T20Is. The equation came down to 64 runs off 30 balls, and Perera had all to do to take Sri Lanka home. Her dismissal on 65 in the 17th over, bowled by Sree Charani, proved to be the final nail in the coffin. The Indian bowlers eventually sealed the victory and completed the whitewash.
Harman, lone hand
A fine innings of 68 off 43 balls by Harmanpreet rescued India from 77/5 to reach 175/7 in 20 overs. The 36-year-old, who walked out to bat in the fifth over, played the lone hand as the others struggled to get going and fell cheaply.
The right-hander was equally proficient with both front and back-foot strokes, driving and pulling, and using her feet to pull things back in India’s favour. She was most severe on the returning Inoka Ranaweera, who went for 32 runs in 16 balls. She stroked nine boundaries and a six to all parts of the Greenfield Stadium before falling in the 18th over.
- India Women innings
- Powerplay: Overs 0.1 – 6.0 (Mandatory – 40 runs, 2 wickets)
- Over 4.1: Review by India Women (Batting), Decision Challenged – Wicket, Umpire – Gayathri V, Batter – G Kamalini (Struck down)
- India Women: 50 runs in 7.1 overs (43 balls), Extras 4
- Drinks: India Women – 74/4 in 10.0 overs (H Kaur 28, DB Sharma 6)
- India Women: 100 runs in 14.2 overs (86 balls), Extras 5
- H Kaur: 50 off 35 balls (7 x 4)
- 6th Wicket: 50 runs in 35 balls (H Kaur 36, AB Kaur 15, Ex 2)
- India Women: 150 runs in 18.3 overs (112 balls), Extras 8
- Slow over-rate Penalty: Overs 19.1 – 20.0 (extra fielder inside the circle)
- Innings Break: India Women – 175/7 in 20.0 overs (A Reddy 27, S Rana 8)
- Sri Lanka Women innings
- Powerplay: Overs 0.1 – 6.0 (Mandatory – 48 runs, 1 wicket)
- Sri Lanka Women: 50 runs in 6.2 overs (38 balls), Extras 2
- 2nd Wicket: 50 runs in 32 balls (GWHM Perera 19, I Dulani 30, Ex 1)
- Over 8.3: Review by India Women (Bowling), Decision Challenged – Wicket, Umpire – Gayathri V, Batter – I Dulani (Struck down – Umpires Call)
- Drinks: Sri Lanka Women – 75/1 in 10.0 overs (GWHM Perera 31, I Dulani 40)
- I Dulani: 50 off 38 balls (8 x 4)
- Sri Lanka Women: 100 runs in 13.2 overs (80 balls), Extras 2
- Over 13.3: Review by Sri Lanka Women (Batting), Decision Challenged – Wicket, Umpire – VG Rathi, Batter – NND Silva (Struck down)
- GWHM Perera: 50 off 37 balls (6 x 4)
- Sri Lanka Women: 150 runs in 18.5 overs (113 balls), Extras 7
| Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram | |
| Toss | Sri Lanka Women, elected to field first |
| Series |
Sri Lanka Women tour of India
|
| Season | 2025/26 |
| Player Of The Match |
 Harmanpreet Kaur |
| Player Of The Series |
Shafali Verma |
| Series result | India Women won the 5-match series 5-0 |
| Match number | WT20I no. 2623 |
| Hours of play (local time) | 19.00 start, First Session 19.00-20.30, Interval 20.30-20.50, Second Session 20.50-22.20 |
| Match days | 30 December 2025 – night (20-over match) |
| WT20I debut |
Gunalan Kamalini
|
| Umpires |
Gayathri VenugopalanDRS Vrinda RathiDRS |
| TV Umpire |
N Janani |
| Reserve Umpire |
Ankita Guha |
| Match Referee |
GS Lakshmi |
