The Indian Womens Cricket Team continued its run of incredible form back home, claiming a tidy 8-wicket win in 3rd T20I against Sri Lanka to wrap up the five match series at 3-0. On Friday, December 26, 2025, the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram played host to a one sided affair, as the “Women in Blue” completely outshone the visitors in every department. Led by a simply outstanding bowling performance from Deepti Sharma and a thrilling unbeaten half-century from Shafali Verma, India knocked over the chase in an astonishing 13.2 overs and further cemented their position as a world beater in the shortest format.
A Clinical Bowling Performance that totally Restrained Sri Lanka
Winning the toss and choosing to field, India’s bowling attack started piling the pressure on the Sri Lankan batters from the get-go. The return of seasoned pacer Renuka Singh Thakur gave India the early break through they needed. Renuka, coming into her first match of the series, rolled over the top order with a devastating spell of 4/21.
Sri Lanka found it hard to get any momentum going, as wickets kept falling at regular intervals. While Hasini Perera put on 25 and Imesha Dulani put on 27 in a 40 run partnership, they just couldn’t pick up the pace against India’s disciplined line and length. As the required run rate mounted, middle order started to fall apart and they eventually struggled to a humble total of 112/7 in 20 overs.
A Record Breaking Night for Deepti Sharma
All-rounder Deepti Sharma was the real star of the show, not just for her performance but for the milestones she achieved. Returning to the team after missing out on the second game due to illness, Deepti put together 3/18. In doing so, she reached some truly historic landmarks:
- A Joint-Highest Wickets Taker, Deepti now has 151 wickets to her name, and that makes her the joint-highest wicket taker in Women’s T20I history, tied with Australia’s Megan Schutt.
- Third-Highest Internationally, She has now surpassed Ellyse Perry and is the third-highest wicket taker in women’s international cricket across all formats with a total of 333 wickets.
- Unique Double, Deepti became the first ever cricketer, male or female, to achieve the double of 1,000 runs and 150 wickets in T20 Internationals.
Shafali Verma Shows Her True Colours with Some Explosive Fireworks
Chasing 113 to win, India lost opener Smriti Mandhana for 1 and Jemimah Rodrigues for 9 early on to Kavisha Dilhari. But these early jitters did not deter Shafali Verma, who played with her trademark aggression. Verma absolutely smashed the Sri Lankan bowling attack, knocking up her second consecutive half century of the series.
Shafali reached her 50 in just 24 balls and finished with an outstanding 79 from 42 deliveries, including 11 fours and 3 sixes. Her partnership with captain Harmanpreet Kaur (21*) ensured that India reached the target of 115/2 with 40 balls to spare.
| Category | Top Performer | Statistics |
| Top Scorer (IND) | Shafali Verma | 79* (42) |
| Top Scorer (SL) | Imesha Dulani | 27 (32) |
| Best Bowling (IND) | Renuka Singh Thakur | 4/21 |
| Best Bowling (IND) | Deepti Sharma | 3/18 |
| Strike Rate (Verma) | Shafali Verma | 188.09 |
Road to a 5-0 Clean Sweep
With a 3-0 lead already in the bag, India’s focus now shifts to finishing the job in style – a 5-0 whitewash. But make no mistake, this series isn’t just about winning – it’s also about getting some vital prep done for the Women’s T20 World Cup that’s just around the corner. The Indian team management will be testing out the bench strength and tweaking strategies as they go.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, are staring up at a mountain of a task. Their batting just hasn’t been able to get over the 120 mark in the first three games – and that’s left their bowlers with next to nothing to defend. For captain Chamari Athapaththu, there’s a big ask for her top order to suddenly click into gear and take on the world-beating Indian side in the games to come.
Conclusion
The 8-wicket win in the 3rd T20I was just the latest sign of the growing gap in quality between the 2 teams. Deepti Sharma’s been breaking world records and Shafali Verma’s been batting out of her skin – and the hosts look like they’re unstoppable right now. As the series heads towards those final 2 games at the same venue, India’s looking like overwhelming favourites to finish on a perfect 5-0 record.
