5th T2OI: Solid batting show from Harmanpreet Kaur, Arundhati Reddy advances India to 175 against Sri Lanka

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], December 30 : Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur's brilliant fifty, along with a fiery cameo from Arundhati Reddy in the last over, powered India to 175/7 in the fifth and final T20I against Sri Lanka at the Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram, on Tuesday.
Reddy and Sneh Rana added a vital 33 runs off 14 balls for the 8th wicket to help India reach a fighting total. Reddy slammed 20 runs off Malki Madara in the last over.
Visiting team captain Chamari Athapaththu won the toss and elected to field. India had a shaky start, losing Shafali Verma for five runs while debutant G. Kamalini scored 12. Harleen Deol had a promising start but failed to convert it into a big score, as she was also removed for 13 off 11 balls in the 7th over.
Wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh also failed with a 5-run knock, as she was dismissed by Athapaththu in the 9th over. Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur held one end, but India went four down against Sri Lanka inside 10 overs.
All-rounder Deepti Sharma soon followed Ghosh as Athapaththu's slow off-spin undid her.
Sharma tried to slog the ball towards mid-wicket but only managed to top-edge the ball into the hands of Nimasha Madushani.
Kaur, along with Amanjot Kaur, advanced the innings. Amanjot rotated the strike while Kaur smashed boundaries at regular intervals. Kaur, in the 15th over, took on Athapaththu, smashing her for two back-to-back fours to bring up her fifty.
Rashmika Sewwandi broke the 61-run stand for the 6th wicket as she removed Amanjot for 21 runs off 18 balls.
Kaur, after playing a brilliant knock of 68, was cleaned up by Kavisha Dilhari in the 18th over, putting India on the back foot.
India finished on 175/7, setting a target of 176 for the visitors to avoid a clean sweep in the five-match T20I series.