|
Star all-rounder Deepti Sharma created history on Friday by becoming the first Indian cricketer, across both men's and women's teams, to take 150 wickets in T20 internationals.
Deepti Sharma reached the milestone after dismissing Sri Lanka's Kavisha Dilhari during the third T20I of the five-match series. After Sri Lanka made a steady start with 25 runs in the first four overs, Deepti Sharma struck in her second over by removing Chamari Athapaththu for just three, giving India an early breakthrough and claiming her 149th T20I wicket. She reached the landmark 150th wicket of her T20I career when she dismissed Kavisha Dilhari on the penultimate ball of the 14th over, with Sri Lanka placed at 85/4. She capped off her spell by dismissing Malsha Shehani in her final over to take her 151st T20I wicket, drawing level with Australia's Megan Schutt. With two matches still to play in the series, Deepti is well placed to become the leading wicket-taker in women's T20I history. Coming to the match, India Women secured an eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka Women to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match T20I series. The win was defined by a ruthless bowling performance led by the returning Renuka Singh Thakur, along with Deepti, and an explosive half-century from Shafali Verma that made light work of the 113-run target. Renuka, back in the side after a lengthy absence, was devastating with the new ball as she ripped through the Sri Lankan top order, finishing with impressive figures of 4/21. At the other end, Deepti Sharma claimed figures of 3/18. Sri Lanka struggled to build momentum after losing early wickets and slipping to 32/3 at the six-over mark. Captain Chamari Athapaththu and Hasini Perera showed some early resistance, but the middle order once again failed to turn starts into a competitive total. The visitors remained under pressure throughout the innings before wicketkeeper-batter Kaushini Nuthyangana's late, unbeaten 19 helped them cross the 100-run mark. Hasini Perera (25 off 18), Imesha Dulani (27 off 32) and Kavisha Dilhari (20 off 13) were the only Sri Lankan batters to score more than 20 runs as Sri Lanka could only manage 112/7 in 20 overs. India's chase was a one-sided affair fueled by Shafali Verma's aggressive batting. She reached her 13th T20I half-century in just 24 balls, eventually finishing with 79 off 42 balls. Though Smriti Mandhana (1) and Jemimah Rodrigues (9) fell cheaply to Kavisha Dilhari, Captain Harmanpreet Kaur (21*) joined Shafali to guide the team home with 6.4 overs to spare. (ANI)
|
