Spinners, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma steal the show as India seals the T20I series with a comprehensive 7-wicket victory in the 3rd T20I.
The 2nd T20I of the series was interrupted due to rain and India ended up winning the game by 19 runs courtesy of the DLS method. Dayalan Hemalatha had an impressive outing in her comeback game for the women in blue. The scoreline of the five-match T20I series stands at 2-0. Dayalan Hemalatha was awarded the Player of the Match (41* off 24 balls) in the 2nd T20I.
The Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and opted to field first. After being inserted to bat first, the Bangladesh openers Murshida Khatun and Dilara Akter got the home side off to a good start, scoring at over seven runs an over. Murshida Khatun was found short of her crease to provide the 1st breakthrough for India. Dilara Akter soon followed her back to the pavilion to provide the 2nd breakthrough for India.
Sobhana Mostary joined skipper Nigar Sultana Joty at the crease and the duo stitched a crucial 30-run partnership for the 3rd wicket before Sobhana Mostary was found short of her crease to provide the 3rd breakthrough. Shreyanka Patil dismissed Fahima Khatun for a golden duck on the very next ball in the 14th over of the innings to provide the 4th breakthrough for her side.
Ritu Moni joined skipper Nigar Sultana Joty at the crease and the duo stitched a crucial 23-run partnership for the 5th wicket before Radha Yadav struck twice in the 19th over of the innings to land a double blow to Bangladesh. The home side, Bangladesh eventually ended up with a total of 117/8 in their quota of overs. Dilara Akter (39 off 27 balls), skipper Nigar Sultana Joty (28 off 36 balls), and Sobhana Mostary (15 off 20 balls) were the top performers with the bat for Bangladesh. Radha Yadav (4-0-22-2), Shreyanka Patil (4-0-24-1), Renuka Singh (4-0-25-1), and Pooja Vastrakar (4-0-26-1) were the top performers with the ball for India.
Chasing a target of 118, the Indian openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana got the visitors off to a flying start, killing the run chase with a 91-run opening stand. The duo scored over seven runs an over before Ritu Moni took a stunning return catch to dismiss Shafali Verma to provide the much-needed first breakthrough for Bangladesh. She completed her well-deserved half-century before getting dismissed.
With just 27 runs required for India to seal the T20I series, they lost a couple of wickets in quick succession. However, the visitors, India eventually managed to get over the line with seven wickets in hand and nine balls to spare. Shafali Verma (51 off 38 balls), and Smriti Mandhana (47 off 42 balls) were the top performers with the bat for India. Rabeya Khan (4-0-24-1), Ritu Moni (2-0-10-1), and Nahida Akter (3.3-0-24-1) were the top performers with the ball for Bangladesh.
The opening batter Shafali Verma was awarded the Player of the Match for her brilliant match-winning performance (51 off 38 balls) with the bat. She alongside Smriti Mandhana played a crucial role in helping them clinch a comfortable victory to seal the five-match T20I series against Bangladesh.