India clean sweep Sri Lanka in Womens Championshi

RANCHI: Medium-pacer Deepti Sharma followed up her four-for in the perevious game with figures of 6 for 20 to help India Women to a comfortable seven-wicket win against Sri Lanka Women in Ranchi.The victory gave India a clean sweep in the three-match series and pushed them to fourth place on the ICC Women’s Championship points table.Sri Lanka got off to a solid start after opting to bat, with the openers adding 33 before Sharma took two in two to spark a spectacular collapse.Captain Shashikala Siriwardene and Dilani Manodara combined for a 32-run sixth-wicket stand but a cluster of wickets thereafter meant Sri Lanka were bowled out for 112 in 38.2 overs, from a score of 94 for 5. Debutant Preeti Bose returned figures of 8-4-8-2.India’s chase began in shaky fashion, losing Poonam Raut in the first over. Smriti Mandhana was run-out soon after for 6.Veda Krishnamurthy and Sharma, then, set about consolidating the innings. The pair added 70 in 109 balls to take India into the ascendancy before Sharma was stumped for 28.India cruised to the target on the back of Krishnamurthy’s 90-ball 61, with more than 20 overs to spare.’