India U19 Women continued their good form in the Sri Lanka Women U19 Tour of India 2026 with a comfortable seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka U19 Women in the third unofficial T20 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday. Chasing a target of 117, India reached 120/3 in 18.4 overs, thanks to a calm half-century from captain Bhavika Ahire and a valuable unbeaten partnership with Ira Jadhav.
After winning the toss, Sri Lanka U19 Women decided to bat first. They started positively as Sanjana Kavindi attacked from the beginning, scoring 17 off just 11 balls with three boundaries. However, her innings ended early when she was run out by Mahak Narwase.
Sri Lanka then lost Vimoksha Balasuriya for three after she was caught by Avani Chavda off Mahak Narwase. The wickets continued to fall as Manudi Nanayakkara scored only one before Anaadi Tagde bowled her. Tagde struck again just a few balls later when Limansa Thilakarathna was caught by Deeksha Katragadda for a duck.
At 38/4, Sri Lanka were under pressure, but Nethmi Upeksha held one end together with a patient innings. She stayed unbeaten on 51 from 60 balls, hitting five fours and playing the anchor role. Danodya Sewmini gave her useful support with 20 from 25 balls, including two boundaries, as the pair helped Sri Lanka recover during the middle overs.
India, however, kept bowling with discipline and did not allow Sri Lanka to score freely. Nethagi Isuranjali made only four before Purva Siwach dismissed her. Kashvi Kandikuppa then removed Danodya Sewmini and Pramudi Methsara in the closing overs to stop Sri Lanka from finishing strongly.
Sri Lanka ended their innings on 116/7 in 20 overs. Apart from Upeksha’s unbeaten half-century, none of the batters could play a big innings. The visitors were also helped by 18 extras, which became their second-highest contribution after Upeksha’s knock.
India’s bowling effort was impressive as every bowler played her part. Anaadi Tagde and Kashvi Kandikuppa picked up two wickets each, while Mahak Narwase and Purva Siwach claimed one wicket each. Gouri Goyal and Avani Chavda also bowled economical spells and kept the pressure on throughout the innings.
India made a steady start during the chase. Ishwari Awasare looked positive and scored 21 from 16 balls, hitting two fours and one six. She added 26 runs for the opening wicket before Danodya Sewmini gave Sri Lanka their first breakthrough.
Soon after, Deeksha Katragadda was run out for nine, leaving India at 30/2. Sri Lanka had a chance to put more pressure on the hosts, but Bhavika Ahire and Ira Jadhav did not allow that to happen.
The pair built the innings patiently before increasing the scoring rate. They shared an excellent 84-run partnership for the third wicket, which almost sealed the match for India.
Bhavika led from the front with a well-made 50 from 48 balls, striking five boundaries. She mixed caution with attacking shots and made sure India stayed ahead of the required run rate. At the other end, Ira played the perfect supporting role, remaining unbeaten on 27 from 34 balls and rotating the strike well.
Bhavika was dismissed with only a few runs left to win, but Purva Siwach finished the chase in style by hitting a boundary off her second ball. India reached 120/3 in 18.4 overs, winning the match with eight balls to spare.
For Sri Lanka, Danodya Sewmini and Aseni Thalagune picked up one wicket each, while Chamodi Herath and Pramudi Methsara bowled tidy spells. However, the target proved too small after India recovered well from the early wickets.
With another strong all-round performance, India U19 Women secured the 3-match T20 series 3-0, while Sri Lanka U19 Women will hope to bounce back in the remaining matches.
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