Harmanpreet Kaur-led Team India will take on Sri Lanka women cricket team in the third and final ODI in Pallekele on Thursday (July 7). Indian women cricket team will look to complete a 3-0 whitewash in the ODI series after already winning the series 2-0 with a comprehensive 10-wicket win in the second ODI on Monday.
Young Indian opener Shafali Verma, who is known for her big-hitting prowess, says she is making a conscious effort to improve her strike rotation to become a better cricketer. The 18-year-old slammed a run-a-ball 71 not out, her career-best score in ODIs, in an unbroken 174-run partnership with Smriti Mandhana (94 not out) as India decimated the hosts by 10 wickets here on Monday to take a unassailable 2-0 lead in the three match series.
The 18-year-old has not been able to maintain consistency in her performances, especially in the 50-over format. “Having seen my past matches, I thought I lacked in taking singles, so I’ve worked on it. I’m trying to be better as I feel taking singles is very important to build your innings in ODIs,” Shafali said on the eve of the third and final ODI of the series.
“If it’s a good ball, it’s about taking singles and rotating the strike. If you keep rotating strike, scoring boundaries become easy. I’m also working a lot on my fitness.”
In the preceding T20 series, Shafali failed to convert her starts and got out for 31, 17 and 5 in the three matches. But in the ODIs, she scored her first half-century in the format since the one against South Africa in the World Cup in March. With a modest target in sight, the duo focused on taking singles and twos as they kept piling misery on the Lankan attack.
Match Details
Venue: Pallekele International Stadium, Pallekele
Date & Time: July 7 at 10 AM IST
Live Streaming and TV details: Fancode
Wicketkeeper: Anushka Sanjeewani, Yastika Bhatia
Batters: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Nilakshi de Silva
All-rounders: Ama Kanchana, Chamari Athapaththu, Deepti Sharma
Bowlers: Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Meghana Singh, Renuka Singh
Captain: Deepti Sharma
Vice-Captain: Renuka Singh
Sri Lanka Women: Chamari Athapaththu (c), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Madavi, Vishmi Gunaratne, Nilakshi de Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), Inoka Ranaweera, Ama Kanchana, Achini Kulasuriya
India Women: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Deepti Sharma, Harleen Deol, Pooja Vastrakar, Richa Ghosh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh, Meghna Singh
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