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Renuka Singh Thakur and Deepti Sharma dazzled with the ball before Shafali Verma's pyrotechnics powered India to a commanding eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka, clinching the five-match series in the third women's T20I here on Friday. With the win, India have taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, underlining their complete dominance over the visitors. The contest followed a familiar script, with India first restricting Sri Lanka to a modest total before overhauling the target with consummate ease. Renuka (4/21) marked her return to the side in scintillating fashion, while Deepti became the joint-highest wicket-taker in women's T20Is as India limited Sri Lanka to a paltry 112 for seven. Shafali, who blazed away to an unbeaten 79 off 42 balls, was at her imperious best as she single-handedly dismantled the chase, powering India home with 40 balls to spare. Playing her first T20I since December last year, Renuka did what she does best with the new ball, rattling t
India's quest to find stable support acts who will serve them at least until next year's World Cup will begin with the first Women's T20I of the five-match series against Sri Lanka here on Sunday. The familiar faces skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, her deputy Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma and Renuka Singh are there, but it cannot be forgotten that they are either in their 30s or moving fast to that mark. In that context, Indian think tank will watch the evolution of young batter G Kamalini and promising left-arm spinner Vaishanavi Sharma closely. The 17-year-old Kamalini has shown her maturity across various stages for Tamil Nadu in the BCCI U23 T20 Trophy, then in the U19 World Cup earlier this year, and later in the Women's Premier League for Mumbai Indians. On the other hand, Vaishanavi has been in the selectors' radar once she emerged the top wicket-taker in the U19 World Cup with 17 wickets. In Radha Yadav's absence, the 19-year-old Vaishanavi may get a chance