Shafali, Mandhana guide India to series win

A clinical bowling display and a 91-run opening stand from Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana helped India overcome Bangladesh by seven wickets in the third T20I and seal the five-match series 3-0 in Sylhet.

After opting to bowl first on an overcast day, India restricted the hosts to a below-par 117 for 8. Shafali blazed her way to a 38-ball 51 while Mandhana made 47 to complete the formalities for India. Bangladesh have now lost all of their last six T20Is.

Shafali, Mandhana make merry

India will be content with both their openers getting some runs in Bangladesh - where the T20 World Cup will be held later this year - after a disappointing tour in 2023, when Shafali scored a total of 30 runs and Mandhana 52 from three matches. On Thursday, the duo put on a solid show off 73 balls in a boundary-laden opening stand to blunt Bangladesh. Mandhana and Shafali combined have 2075 runs from 65 innings in T20Is, the second-highest tally across all teams and most for an Indian pair.

Shafali began the fireworks from the get-go, starting with a powerful lofted drive over left-arm pacer Fariha Trisna's head in the second over. She utilised the loose deliveries from the bowlers and hit eight fours in the powerplay to reach 45 off 28 balls. This included three successive fours off left-arm spinner Nahika Akter's over. At the end of the powerplay, India were 59 for 0, needing just 59 from the remaining 84 balls. It took a stunning one-handed return catch from Ritu Moni in the 13th over to dismiss Shafali and break the opening partnership.

On the other end, Mandhana kept the scorecard ticking with elegant cover drives, sweeps, and paddle sweeps, as she also ensured to rotate the strike regularly. She also came down the track and clobbered a six over long-on fence off legspinner Rabeya Khan in the ninth over. She looked set to score her maiden T20I fifty in Bangladesh but fell three short after she skied one to deep square leg off Nahida Akter. Overall, she hit five fours and a six in 41 balls.

Bangladesh picked up three wickets for 19 runs after 12 overs, but it was too late to make a comeback into the game as India chased the target in 18.3 overs.

Brisk start before the Bangladesh collapse

Bangladesh started the innings positively, with both openers Dilhara Akter and Murhsida Khatun remaining unbeaten at the end of the powerplay. They scored 44 for 0 in that phase and also benefitted from sloppy fielding from India. For the second time in as many games, Harmanpreet Kaur dropped a catch in the fifth over to hand a life to Dilhara, who went on to score a quickfire 39. In the next over, S Sajana couldn't hold on to a difficult catch when Dilhara went for a sweep but top-edged to square-leg. In the same over, India also missed a run-out opportunity to dismiss Akter.

However, as was the case in the second game, Bangladesh lost some steam in the middle overs after putting on 46 runs for the opening stand. Murshida (9 off 16) was dismissed run-out off a free-hit from Radha Yadav in the seventh over when Deepti Sharma fired a sharp throw from point. Dilhara scored five clean boundaries in her 27-ball stay to provide a solid foundation but departed in the eighth over when she was caught behind off a slower delivery from Renuka Singh.

Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana and Sobhana Mostary shared 30 runs off 36 for the third wicket before Mostary was run out in the 14th over. This triggered the collapse as Bangladesh went from 85 for 2 to lose the next six wickets for 32 runs. Radha finished with 2 for 22 while Shreyanka and Pooja Vastrakar picked up a wicket apiece.