The third and the final T20I of the three-match series between India and Sri Lanka will be played on June 27 at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla in Sri Lanka. India have taken an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the series after beating the hosts by five wickets in the second T20I on Saturday.
Batting first, Sri Lanka posted a respectable score of 125/7 in 20 overs, thanks to the opening pair of Vishmi Gunaratne (45) and skipper Chamari Athapaththu (43). The duo stitched an 87-run partnership to lay the foundation. However, once they departed there were no major contributions from the rest of the batters. India’s Deepti Sharma was the pick of the bowlers as she scalped 34/2 in four overs. In reply, India completed the formalities in 19.1 overs with five wickets in hand. Smriti Mandhana led the run chase with a 34-ball 39 and captain Harmanpreet Kaur played a useful knock of 31 not out off 32 balls to see her side home. For Sri Lanka, Oshadi Ranasinghe and Inoka Ranaweera were the most successful bowlers as they claimed two wickets apiece.
Head-to-Head
India and Sri Lanka have played 20 T20Is against each other, out of which India have won 16, Sri Lanka have won three and one match did not produce a result.
Squads
India: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia (wk), S Meghna, Deepti Sharma, Poonam Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Simran Bahadur, Richa Ghosh (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh, Jemimah Rodrigues, Radha Yadav.
Sri Lanka: Chamari Athapaththu (Captain), Hasini Perera, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshi de Silva, Anushka Sanjeevani, Oshadhi Ranasinghe, Sugandika Kumari, Inoka Ranaweera, Achini Kulasuriya, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Vishmi Gunaratne, Malsha Shehani, Ama Kanchana, Udeshika Prabodhani, Rashmi de Silva, Hansima Karunaratne, Kaushani Nuthyangana, Sathya Sandeepani, Tharika Sewwandi
Players to watch
Smriti Mandhana:
The left-handed opening batter of India led the run chase with a 34-ball 39 against Sri Lanka in her last outing. The southpaw smashed eight boundaries in her innings. She held the innings together and was there till the 11th over of the match.
Deepti Sharma:
The right arm spinner from India had a good outing with the ball in her last appearance against Sri Lanka. She bowled well with the new ball and in the death overs. She bagged 34/2 in four overs.
Vishmi Gunaratne:
The right-handed opening batter of Sri Lanka starred with the bat as she mustered 45 runs off 50 balls, including six boundaries in her last match against India. In the process, she stitched an 87-run partnership with her skipper Chamari Athapaththu.
Inoka Ranaweera:
The left arm spinner from Sri Lanka was the pick of the bowlers in her last outing against India as she scalped 18/2 in four overs. She was the most economical bowler. She bowled well in the middle phase of the innings.
Pitch
The last match that was played here saw more than 250 runs being scored. 12 wickets fell in the process. The team batting second won the match chasing 126 runs in 20 overs. The wicket looked on a slower side and the spinners enjoyed bowling here. Again, a sluggish wicket is expected. Batters may find it hard to score the runs though the outfield is lightning quick which will give them some ray of hope.
Weather
The weather is expected to be breezy with clouds followed by a brightening sky. The temperature can go up to 29 degrees Celsius. As per the forecast, there is 25 percent chance of rain and 99 percent cloud cover. The wind will blow from the west-southwest.
Fantasy Playing XI
Anushka Sanjeewani, Vishmi Rajapaksha, Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Chamari Athapaththu, Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Inoka Ranaweera, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Radha Yadav
Match details
Date: June 27, 2022
Time: 2PM IST
Venue: Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla, Sri Lanka
Live streaming: Fancode
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I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.
