Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur scripted history on Saturday by overtaking Australian great Meg Lanning to become the skipper with the most wins in women’s T20 Internationals.
The milestone came during the third T20I against Sri Lanka in Thiruvananthapuram, where India registered an emphatic eight-wicket victory to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
With this win, Harmanpreet Kaur now has 77 victories from 130 T20Is as captain, along with 48 losses and five no results. Her win percentage stands at 58.46. Meg Lanning, meanwhile, recorded 76 wins in just 100 matches, with 18 losses, one tie, and five no results. Lanning’s win percentage remains higher at 76, and she led Australia to four T20 World Cup titles, making her one of the most decorated captains in the shortest format across both men’s and women’s cricket.
Talking about the match, India won the toss and elected to bowl first. Sri Lanka managed 112 for 7 in their 20 overs, with Imesha Dulani scoring 27 off 32 balls, Hasini Perera making 25 off 18 deliveries, and Kavisha Dilhari adding 20 off 13 balls. These were the only scores above 20 for the visitors.
For India, Deepti Sharma starred with the ball, returning figures of 3 for 18. She became the first Indian across men’s and women’s cricket to claim 150 T20I wickets and also emerged as the highest wicket-taker in the format. Renuka Singh was the standout bowler of the match, picking up 4 for 21.
In the chase, Shafali Verma produced a blistering knock of 79 not out off just 42 balls, smashing 11 fours and three sixes. Harmanpreet Kaur chipped in with 21 off 18 balls as India cruised to victory in just 13.2 overs. It was Shafali’s second consecutive T20I fifty. In eight T20Is this year, she has scored 333 runs at an average of 55.50 and a strike rate of over 173, including three half-centuries and a top score of 79*.
Having already guided India to their first-ever ICC Women’s World Cup title, Harmanpreet Kaur now has the opportunity to lead the team to their maiden Women’s T20 World Cup triumph. The tournament will be held in the UK in June-July next year. India is placed in a tough Group A alongside Australia, South Africa, and Pakistan, with two more teams yet to be confirmed.
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