IND-W vs SL-W

Three games, three dominant wins all through and an unassailable 3-0 lead with two more games to go in the series. India have completely had it their way and they are looking favorite for a clean sweep against an inexpereinced Sri Lankan side which certainly looks short of a gallop. To achieve that clean sweep and further bolster their prepearations for the T20 WC coming up next year, India might just make some tweaks now that the series has been sealed. The fourth game will be played at the same venue after a day's gap and we will be right there bringing you all the action like always. For now, this is the time to sign off from here as this is Sourabh Agrawal taking your leave on behalf of Sooryanarayan Sesha and the entire team. Cheers!

Renuka Singh Thakur is the Player of the Match for her phenomenal spell of 4/21. Here's what she has to say: Very happy. I don't get five wickets too easily, I end up with four only. I need to work harder for the fifth. Whenever a tournament starts I go to the NCA for practice. I put in some extra work on my bowling and fitness and I execute accordingly. From the last six months to one year I've been working on these variations. There's a World Cup next year. Whenever I go to Australia or for the World Cup I should not have any doubt. I know if my first over doesn't go well I need to come back well. I look at what else I can do on this pitch so that the captain gives me the ball again. She (Harmanpreet) kept motivating me saying 'come on, paanch wicket' since she too knows that I always get four wickets and not a five-fer. I need to work harder for that fifth wicket.

Harmanpreet Kaur (India Women captain): "It was a great series for all of us. That was what we discussed after the World Cup, we know that the T20 WC is coming up and we need to up our game and be more aggressive with the way the game is going. (What would she like to highlight?) Contribution from our bowling. Bowling is very important in T20s. We are in this position because of the bowlers so credit to them. First 6 overs are very crucial to get the wickets of their top order that is why we went with Renuka. I know the first over was not great but the way she came back and picked up the wickets was crucial."

Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka captain): Truly I feel we are not playing our best cricket. As a batting unit we have struggled a lot. We need to improve since we are playing our best batting lineup. We're using these players since the last six months. We always trust our youngsters and top-order but still aren't finding a way in this format. We gave opportunities for Imesha today, she batted well in the middle-order. Kavisha batted well so these were positives. But we need to improve ahead of the World Cup. Two bilateral series coming up and I hope we perform well in those series.

9:36 PM local time and IST: MATCH SUMMARY

India Women (115/2 in 13.2 overs) beat Sri Lanka Women (112/7 in 20 overs) by 8 wickets

Shafali Verma  79*(42) | Renuka Thakur 4/21(4)
Imesha Dulani 27(32) | Kavisha Dilhari 2/18(3)

Handshakes all around, India have yet again outplayed Sri Lanka in all three departments. 14.4 overs in the first match, 11.5 in the second and now 13.2 overs in the third match is all of what India has needed to deliver the knockout blow to Sri Lanka

It has been the same script yet again, pretty much the same. Headed by the same personnel once more as Shafali Verma powers her way to a very dominant unbeaten 79*, remains not out in the chase for the second straight time after getting 69* in the previous match and she has now shown that this is the improved version of Shafali Verma who now knows how to finish matches and not just provide blistering starts.

She did not need a lot of support again, just like it was the case in the previous match. However, the work for her was done by the bowlers earlier in the piece who kept Sri Lanka down to a well-below par total for the third successive time in the series.

Renuka Thakur (4/21) and Deepti Sharma (3/18) were the stars with the ball for India as Sri Lanka stumbled upon their way upto 112/7 in the first innings. The worrying fact for Sri Lanka, despite all the inexperience in their lineup, would be the repititive nature of the mistakes they have committed in these three games in this series. Kavisha Dilhari was a positive for them though with her all-round effort but Sri Lanka need to make a lot of ground to even pose a challenge.

With this win, Harmanpreet Kaur is now the most successful T20I skipper in Women's cricket with 77 wins in 130 matches going past Meg Lanning's 76 wins in 100 games

Post-match presentations lined up next!

13.2 Malsha Shehani to Shafali Verma, SHAFALI SEALS THE SERIES IN STYLE! How fitting that she has the final stamp of approval on this contest! Flighted full around the off stump and she dances down the track to cannon it over the bowler's head. One bounce, over the ropes and it brings the curtains down on yet another canter of a chase. India romp home by 8 wickets with 40 deliveries to spare and take an unassailable 3-0 lead in this 5-match series!

12.5 Inoka Ranaweera to Shafali Verma, yorks herself as Ranaweera tosses it up outside off. Shafali steps out, leans into it and bunts a drive off the toe-end to deep extra cover

12.2 Inoka Ranaweera to Harmanpreet Kaur, full at the stumps. Harmanpreet steps out and swings over the head of mid-on and towards the wide long on fielder for a run

12.1 Inoka Ranaweera to Harmanpreet Kaur, SMOKED! Looped up on a full length outside off. Harmanpreet waits, sits on one knee and thumps it over the bowler's head as it races down to the ropes