India showcase batting prowess to hammer Sri Lanka, inch closer to series sweep

India registered a 30-run win over Sri Lanka in the fourth T20I in Thiruvananthapuram on December 28 to inch a step closer to registering a clean sweep in the five-match series.

Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu, who was playing in her 150th T20I, was lucky at the toss for the first time in the series and put India in, keeping the dew factor in mind.

Allrounder Rashmika Sewwandi and pacer Kawya Kavindi came in for Inoka Ranaweera and Malki Madara as Sri Lanka decided to tweak their XI a bit. India also made two changes as Jemimah Rodrigues missed out due to "weakness arising from mild fever", with Harleen Deol replacing her, and Arundhati Reddy came in place of Kranti Gaud.

The Sri Lankan bowlers couldn't justify Athapaththu's decision to field first as they witnessed an evening to forget. Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana registered the highest partnership for any wicket (162) for India women as they took the Sri Lankan bowlers to task.

Mandhana scored 80 off 48 balls with the help of 11 fours and three sixes at an impressive strike rate of 166.66, whereas Shafali amassed 79 off 46 deliveries, laced with 12 fours and a maximum, while striking at 171.73.

Nimasha Meepage broke the stand on the second ball of the 16th over as Shafali lobbed a caught-and-bowled opportunity at her. The suffering wasn't over for the tourists as India's most feared ball striker, Richa Ghosh, came to the crease and piled on the pain.

Richa played a whirlwind knock, scoring 40* off 16 balls with the help of four boundaries and three sixes at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 250. Harmanpreet Kaur also batted in a free-wheeling manner and remained unbeaten on 16 off 10 balls with the help of a boundary and a six as India registered their highest-ever total (221) in T20Is.

Sri Lanka fail to scale India's mountain

Required to score at 11.1 runs per over, the tourists got off with gusto as Hasini Perera and Athapaththu added 59 in just 5.3 overs. Perera (33 off 20) took charge as her captain wasn't swift to get off the blocks. But the scoreboard pressure eventually got to Perera as she got out to an off-cutter off Arundhati.

Athapaththu then added 57 with Imesha Dulani, but the pair struggled to match the asking rate, which led to the former's undoing. Athapaththu scored 52 off 37 balls with the help of three fours and as many maximums.

Needing 106 off just 43 balls, Sri Lanka required a monumental effort from the remaining batters, but it wasn't meant to be as they could only manage 191 in their 20 overs for the loss of six wickets. Nilakshi Silva (23* off 11) smashed four boundaries towards the fag end to reduce the margin of defeat. 

Vaishnavi Sharma was the pick of all the India bowlers, claiming 2/24 in her four overs. Arundhati also chipped in with two wickets, whereas N Sree Charani bagged one.