India sealed a comprehensive 30-run victory over Sri Lanka in the fourth women’s T20I on Sunday to take an unassailable 4-0 lead in the five-match series. Despite the dominant result, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur revealed she had to push her bowlers to speed up towards the end of Sri Lanka’s innings to avoid slow over-rate penalties.

Also Read: Smriti Mandhana creates history, leaves legends behind in jaw-dropping feat

Harmanpreet appeared visibly animated in the closing stages, urging her teammates to complete their overs on time. Addressing the moment during the post-match presentation, the skipper said she was conscious of the clock and wanted to avoid fielding restrictions. “We were getting short in time and I wanted everyone to be on time. I didn’t want three fielders outside the infield. I try to improve from my mistakes,” she said.

India’s victory was set up by a record-opening partnership between Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma. Mandhana smashed 80, while Shafali blazed her way to 79, laying a solid foundation for a massive total. The hosts then relied on a disciplined bowling effort, led by spinner Vaishnavi Sharma’s impressive figures of 2 for 24, to restrict Sri Lanka and seal the win.

“We should give credit to Shafali and Smriti, and then me and Richa finished well,” Harmanpreet added while reflecting on the batting effort.

With the series already in the bag, Harmanpreet hinted at possible changes for the final T20I on Tuesday. She revealed that Harleen Deol was in line for a chance, but the opening pair’s dominance altered the plan. “We thought we would give a chance to Harleen, but the way the game went, we sent Richa early. Smriti and Shafali didn’t let Harleen bat,” she explained.

Player of the Match Mandhana admitted she took time to adjust to the T20I format after playing a lot of ODI cricket in recent months. “After playing a lot of ODI cricket this year, it was tough to get into T20 cricket mentally. I’m happy I could contribute better today. The plan was similar, no major changes. I had some game plans against them and practiced a lot,” she said.

Speaking about her partnership with Shafali, Mandhana was full of praise. “To watch Shafali bat at the other end is always a treat. She does most of the hitting in the powerplay. We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. She has matured a lot, and over the last year there’s been a different kind of team bonding where everyone celebrates each other’s success,” she added.

Despite the defeat, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu chose to focus on the positives, highlighting her team’s improved batting display after scoring 191 for 6 in 20 overs. “At least we have improved our batting, but we still need to work on power-hitting,” she said.

Athapaththu also acknowledged India’s dominance and the learning experience for her young squad. “They batted really well. Our bowlers didn’t bowl well, but we have a lot of youngsters. They’ve learnt a lot by playing against the best team in the world,” she noted.

Praising Indian spinner Vaishnavi Sharma, Athapaththu added, “She is bowling very well and has improved a lot. She bowls according to the plan, especially in the middle overs.”

(By PTI Inputs)