Sri Lanka tour of India: Hosts clinch T20I series with two matches to spare

Renuka Thakur and Shafali Verma starred as India beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the third T20I at Thiruvananthapuram on take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series on Friday.

Having won the toss for the third consecutive time, Harmanpreet Kaur asked Sri Lanka to bat first as has been the norm this series.

The Sri Lankan batters barring captain Chamari Athapththu once again struggled to get going as India restricted them to 112/7 in 20 overs.

Thakur shone bright, picking up 4-21 in her four overs along with a maiden.

However, it was Deepti Sharma who stole the show as he became the first cricketer to do the 1000 runs and 150 wickets double in T20I cricket.

Sharma's figures of 3-18 also made her the joint highest wicket-taker in women's T20I history, drawing level with Australia's Megan Schutt at 151 wickets.

With a modest total to chase, Shafali Verma singlehandedly dismantled the Sri Lankan attack.

Even as Smriti Mandhana struggled to get going, Verma went all guns blazing to register her second consecutive half-century.

She finished unbeaten for a second match in a row, scoring a 42-ball 79 with 11 boundaries and 3 sixes.

Skipper Kaur also chipped in with a vital unbeaten 20 as India chased down the target with more than six overs to spare.