Shafali and Smriti during their record stand.
| Photo Credit: NIRMAL HARINDRAN
Chamari Athapaththu called it right at the toss, at last. She promptly sent India in to bat.
“Thank you,” Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma might have as well said as they strode to the middle. What followed was a superlative exhibition of batting, the kind of which you wouldn’t get to see that often in women’s T20I cricket.
Smriti (80, 48b, 11×4, 3×6) and Shafali (79, 46b, 12×4, 1×6) showed yet again why they are among the most feared batting duos in women’s cricket. They put on the biggest partnership — 162 — for any wicket for India in the format, and Richa Ghosh finished it off for India with a blistering cameo (40 n.o., 16b, 4×4, 3×6).
Record score
The Women in Blue, who were batting first after opting to bowl in the first three games of the series, made a record-breaking 221 for two in the fourth T20I, their best-ever score.
It was always going to be an uphill task for the Lankans, but they did try to make a match of it, Hasini Perera (33, 20b, 7×4) and Chamari (52, 37b, 3×4, 3×6) putting on 59 for the opening wicket inside the PowerPlay. But nobody else could carry on that momentum, and the host won by 30 runs to take a 4-0 lead in the series.
The writing was on the wall for the Lankans right at the start.
Smriti tucked the first ball of the innings, bowled by Malsha Shehani, square of the wicket on the leg-side for a boundary.
Her well-documented mastery on the off-side would follow, but only a little later on in the evening: before that she would get to watch, from the non-striker’s end, Shafali put on a masterclass of her own, of controlled aggression. The 21-year-old right-hander had come into this match after scoring 69 not out and 79 not out in the last two outings.
A four through the extra covers off Kawya Kavindi after stepping down the track indicated the innings was just a continuation from Friday night.
Shafali didn’t hit a six until she made her third successive fifty of the series, though. She danced down the track to send Nimasha Meepage over long-off.
After Shafali was caught and bowled by Nimasha, Richa was promoted up the order. In the penultimate over, the wicketkeeper went after Kavisha Dilhari (6, 6, 4, 6).
Smriti in 10,000-club
Smriti had already been back in the dressing room, edging her sweep off Malsha to square-leg.
But she had completed 10,000 international runs, though — only the fourth woman to do so.
Published – December 28, 2025 11:23 pm IST
