Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu lamented that they did not play their “best cricket” against India, which she identified as the reason for their 15-run defeat in the fifth T20I in Thiruvananthapuram.
India’s Historic Clean Sweep
This defeat completed a clean sweep for India Women, marking their third 5-0 victory in a bilateral T20I series, following similar results against West Indies in 2019 and Bangladesh in 2024.
Athapaththu expressed confidence in her young side’s potential for improvement in the future. “Actually, we did not play our best cricket in this tournament. Especially power hitting and batting. But some positives. We were carrying a young side. Hopefully, we can be better in the future,” said Chamari Athapaththu.
Focus on Improvement Ahead of World Cup
She also called on senior players, including herself, to elevate their game as they prepare for the Women’s T20I World Cup to be held in England. “Some seniors are playing good cricket, but not all of us are doing very well. We need to improve in a couple of areas before the World Cup. We talk about positive things in the dressing room. We were playing good cricket 6-7 months back. Our coach is very good. He motivates us to play to our potential.”
Match Summary
Chasing a target of 176 on a dry track, Sri Lanka faced an early setback when their skipper was dismissed quickly. However, Hasini Perera (65) and Imesha Dulani (50) formed a solid partnership, adding 79 runs for the second wicket.
“Some batters executed the plans in the middle. We gave India a good fight. Thanks to the BCCI and the people of India for having us,” Athapaththu added.
Arundhati Reddy disrupted Sri Lanka’s chase by taking out the dangerous Athapaththu in the second over, where she scored just two runs. Despite losing an early wicket, Sri Lanka gained momentum through the strong partnership of Perera and Dulani, which proved crucial.
Dulani’s innings culminated in her first T20I fifty, as she was stumped out by Amanjot Kaur in the 12th over, scoring 50 runs off 39 balls.
Despite the strong start, the middle and lower order subsequently collapsed, with only Rashmika Sewwandi managing to reach double figures with an unbeaten score of 14 runs from eight balls.