300 plus is not easy to chase: Chamari Athapaththu lauds India as Sri Lanka fall short in Tri-Series final

ANI May 11, 2025 299 views

India dominated the Women's ODI Tri-Series final, posting a massive 342/7 thanks to Smriti Mandhana's brilliant century. Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu acknowledged India's strong performance but rued her team's fielding lapses and lack of power-hitters. Despite a fighting effort, Sri Lanka fell short, bowled out for 245. Athapaththu stressed the need for improvements before the upcoming World Cup.

"300 plus is not easy to chase, we fought hard but dropped catches and missed runouts" - Chamari Athapaththu
Colombo, May 11: Team India delivered a commanding performance to seal the Women's ODI Tri-Series title, posting a daunting 342/7 before bundling out Sri Lanka Women for 245 in the final.

Key Points

1

Smriti Mandhana's 116 powers India to 342/7

2

Sri Lanka falters in fielding and middle overs

3

Athapaththu admits need for power-hitters before World Cup

4

India's disciplined bowling restricts Sri Lanka to 245

Speaking after the match, the Sri Lankan captain, Chamari Athapaththu didn't shy away from admitting her team's shortcomings on the day.

"First of all, congratulations to India, they played really well today. 300 plus is not easy to chase, we fought hard but we dropped some catches, and missed some runouts as well. Even our bowling unit struggled in the middle overs, but Smriti (Mandhana) batted really well," she said, praising India's batting effort, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

India's top-order flourished with Mandhana leading the charge, while the middle-order ensured the momentum never dipped. The Sri Lankan bowlers, on the other hand, failed to stem the run flow, especially during the crucial middle overs. Mandhana made a brilliant 116 off 101 deliveries.

Reflecting on her team's performance across the tournament, the Sri Lankan skipper highlighted fielding as a major concern.

"We have to improve our fielding, we dropped catches and missed runout chances throughout the tournament. SLC is trying to get new fielding coaches as well, so we need to work on it," she admitted.

Apart from the fielding woes, the Sri Lankan batting order lacked the firepower needed to chase down a mammoth target. Though there were moments of resistance, India's disciplined bowling attack never allowed any significant partnerships to flourish.

"We also need to improve our batting, we need some power-hitters, but work needs to be done before the World Cup," the skipper added, setting her sights on long-term goals.

Brief score: India Women 342/7 in 50 overs (Smriti Mandhana 116, Harleen Deol 47; Sugandika Kumari 2/59) vs. Sri Lanka Women 245 in 48.2 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 51, Nilakshika Silva 48; Sneh Rana 4/38).

Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
What a performance by our women in blue! 🇮🇳 Smriti's century was pure class. Sri Lanka fought well but chasing 340+ was always going to be tough. Hope this win gives our team confidence before the World Cup!
P
Priya M.
Chamari was gracious in defeat - respect for that. But our bowlers were outstanding too! Sneh Rana's 4-wicket haul deserves more praise. Fielding has been our weak point too, so good to see Sri Lanka working on it.
A
Arjun S.
Sri Lanka needs to develop more players like Chamari. She's carrying the team alone most times. Meanwhile, India's bench strength is showing - Deol, Rana all contributing. BCCI's investment in women's cricket paying off!
N
Neha T.
While we celebrate, let's not forget SL gave us tough competition earlier in the series. Their women's team is improving slowly but surely. More such bilateral series between Asian teams will help raise standards across the region.
V
Vikram J.
Mandhana's innings was 🔥! But honestly, our middle order still looks shaky at times. Against stronger teams, we can't afford collapses. Need to work on that before big tournaments.
S
Shreya P.
Good to see women's cricket getting attention! The stadium looked packed. Hope BCCI organizes more matches in smaller cities too - would love to watch them play live in Indore!

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Tags:
Women's ODI Tri-Series Chamari Athapaththu Smriti Mandhana India vs Sri Lanka Cricket
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