India vs Sri Lanka 3rd Women T20 Highlights: Shafali Verma's Blitz, Renuka Thakur Heroics Seal Series Victory For India – Times Now

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IND W vs SL W 3rd T20 Highlights: Renuka Thakur’s four-wicket haul and Deepti Sharma’s three-for ensured that Sri Lanka managed to make just 112 runs. No player made even 30 runs for the visitors. Shafali Verma continued her brilliant form and made 79 runs in just 42 balls to ensure the Women in Blue won by eight wickets with 40 balls to spare.
Updated Dec 26, 2025, 22:22 IST
IND-W VS Sl-W 3rd T20I
Time to bid you all farewell. Three straight one-sided contests have rather dented the entertainment quotient, but we promise to keep trying. More than us, though, it is Sri Lanka Women who will need to lift their game to compete with this ruthless force called India. With the series already beyond them, the visitors might play with greater freedom and, hopefully, inject some spark into the contest. The fourth T20I comes up on Sunday, 28th December at 7 pm IST (1330 GMT). Do join us early for the build-up. Cheers!
Renuka Singh Thakur is the Player of the Match for figures of 4-1-21-4. Says she is very happy with the performance and jokes that she somehow always ends up with four wickets and rarely gets a five-wicket haul. Smiles and adds that she might need to work even harder to achieve that. Shares that she regularly goes to the NCA to prepare for tournaments, as it allows her to put in extra work on both her bowling and fitness. Speaking about her variations, Renuka tells that over the past few months, she has been working extensively on them with the World Cup in mind. Feels it is important to remove any doubt from her mind and be mentally prepared. Admits that even when the first over did not go according to plan, she knew she could come back strongly. Also mentions that skipper Harmanpreet Kaur keeps motivating her throughout, and even recalls the legend Jhulan Goswami’s words that one has to work harder to earn a fifer.
Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain of India Women, says that it has been a great series for the entire group. Adds that after the World Cup, they wanted to raise the standards and be more aggressive in T20 cricket, with another World Cup coming. Kaur expresses her happiness with the overall performances in the series. Feels that the biggest highlight has been the contribution from the bowlers, emphasizing that in T20 cricket, bowling plays a crucial role. On the rotation of bowlers in the Powerplay in this game, Kaur replies that they knew Sri Lanka’s top order is key, which is why they opted to start with Renuka Singh Thakur. Admits that the first over was not what they expected (went for 12 runs) but praises the way Renuka responded and came back strongly.
Chamari Athapaththu, skipper of Sri Lanka Women, admits that her team is not playing its best cricket. She feels the batting unit has struggled considerably and says there is a clear need for improvement in that area. Explains that they have largely persisted with the best batting combination available, while also trying a few options with the bowling unit. Admits that things have not quite fallen into place. Chamari points out the positives from the game, highlighting that Imesha Dulani batted really well and Kavisha Dilhari also contributed. Shares that they are still keen to try out a few more players as they look ahead to the World Cup.
Stay tuned for the presentation…
If we rewind to the first innings, it was very much the Indian bowlers calling the shots. Renuka Singh Thakur and Deepti Sharma led the charge, with the rest of the attack buying fully into the plan and executing it to perfection. Renuka marked her comeback in this format in style, snapping up a four-wicket haul, while Deepti chipped in with three to draw level with Megan Schutt as the leading wicket-taker in this format. For the third game in a row, Sri Lanka simply did not turn up with the bat. India have won the three matches with 32, 49 and 40 balls to spare. Add those up and you have the equivalent of a full innings left unused. That, in a nutshell, is the gulf between the two sides, not just in numbers, but in skill, depth, and overall quality.
121, 128 and 112 – those have been the visitors’ totals on this tour so far, and India Women have made an absolute mockery of each of those targets. Shafali Verma sparkled once again, her blade doing all the talking with a blistering 79* off just 42 balls, a knock that effectively tucked the game in and turned the lights out early. Sri Lanka Women were listless with the ball – no clear plans, no execution, and barely a hint of a fight. Kavisha Dilhari stood out as the lone bright spot, putting in a wholehearted effort with both bat and ball, but beyond her, the rest of the side simply failed to turn up.
Sri Lanka Women were never truly in the contest, either with bat or ball. Outplayed in every department, they were second best from start to finish, left chasing India all evening in the hope of salvaging even a fleeting moment of satisfaction from a thoroughly one-sided game.
Complete humiliation of Sri Lanka Women yet again as India Women cruise to a thumping victory, sealing an unassailable 3-0 lead in this five-match series. It has been one-way traffic, with India firmly in the driver’s seat throughout. With this win, Harmanpreet Kaur brings up her 77th victory as India’s captain, moving clear at the summit and cementing her status as the most successful skipper in this format. A landmark achievement for a leader who keeps setting the standard.
13.2: Malsha Shehani to Shafali Verma, FOUR! Shafali Verma strikes it clean and that’s all for this evening. Malsha Shehani gives it the flight, lands it full and outside off, Verma jumps down the track and smacks it over mid on for a boundary. India Women win by 8 wickets and with 40 balls to spare.
13.1: Malsha Shehani to Harmanpreet Kaur, Flighted one, full and around off, Kaur uses her feet and flicks it to deep mid-wicket for a single.
12.6: Inoka Ranaweera to Harmanpreet Kaur, Loopy delivery, full and around leg, Harmanpreet Kaur pushes it gently to long on for a run. 3 needed more!
12.5: Inoka Ranaweera to Shafali Verma, Full and flighted, outside off, Verma dances down the track and reaches out to drive it towards sweeper cover. One taken.
12.4: Inoka Ranaweera to Harmanpreet Kaur, Fires it full and on middle, Kaur works it with the angle to deep mid-wicket for a single. 5 required more, Shafali Verma can finish it with one hit.
12.3: Inoka Ranaweera to Shafali Verma, Around off, driven to long off for one.
12.2: Inoka Ranaweera to Harmanpreet Kaur, Gives the charge to a full ball and lofts it over mid on for a single.
12.1: Inoka Ranaweera to Harmanpreet Kaur, FOUR! Shot! Slower one, full and loopy outside off, Harmanpreet Kaur goes down and muscles it towards long on for a boundary. Excellent.
11.6: Malsha Shehani to Harmanpreet Kaur, On middle, pushed down to long on for a single.
11.5: Malsha Shehani to Shafali Verma, Advances down the track and knocks a full ball down to long on for one.
11.4: Malsha Shehani to Shafali Verma, FOUR! Smashed! Malsha serves it on a platter. Full and on middle, Shafali picks it up and whips it over mid-wicket for a crunching boundary. India can sniff a series win here, just a few runs away.
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