Rajeshwari Gayakwad got three wickets, Pooja Vastrakar shone with her all-around brilliance, and captain Harmanpreet Kaur smashed 75 to help India overcome Sri Lanka by 39 runs in the third ODI in Pallekele to finish the 3-0 series sweep.
India reached a score of 124/6 in 29.2 overs at one stage, but Harmanpreet saved the day with her 16th ODI fifty, an 88-ball 75 that included seven fours and two sixes to help India win. As India reached 255/9 in their 50 overs, she also contributed to a key 97-run partnership with Pooja, who finished unbeaten on 56 off 65 balls and smashed three sixes.
Harmanpreet dealt the Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu a devastating blow in the defence of 255 by dismissing him for 44 off 41 balls. Sri Lanka was subsequently knocked out for 216 in 47.3 overs after Rajeshwari grabbed three wickets while giving up 36 runs in her 10 overs while Pooja and Meghna Singh picked up two late wickets.
After Vishmi Gunaratne, a young player, was out cheaply, Chamari and Hasini Perera (39 off 57 balls), who had combined for 56 runs, put the hosts in position to attempt to chase down the total. Sadly, neither of them managed to get off to a strong start as Rajeshwari bowled Hasini through the gate and Harmanpreet caught Chamari at mid-on.
After Chamari was dismissed, Sri Lanka's wickets started to fall quickly, and even though all-rounder Nilakshi de Silva (48 not out off 59 balls) shared stands of 28 and 33 with Rashmi de Silva and Inoka Ranaweera for the final two wickets, it was too late for Sri Lanka to prevent an Indian series sweep.
Before losing their opener, Smriti Mandhana, India scored 49 runs in 50 balls thanks to Shafali Verma, who smashed five thunderous boundaries before being caught lbw by leg-spinner Rashmi de Silva. After that, despite a 50-run partnership between Shafali and Yastika Bhatia (30), India fell to 124/6 in 29.2 overs as Rashmi, Inoka, and Oshadi Ranasinghe precipitated a middle-order collapse.
But Pooja served as the ideal sidekick as Harmanpreet seized control of the batting and stabilised the situation. They also benefited from Pooja being dropped at mid-wicket early in her batting and Harmanpreet escaping a stumping opportunity after Anushka Sanjeevani missed it.
As India finished with 255/9, the pair took chances against spin, which paid off in stitching a 97-run partnership over 117 deliveries, providing the bowling attack a respectable total to defend against the Sri Lankans. In addition to winning Player of the Series, Harmanpreet was named Player of the Match. Harmanpreet also won Player of the Series honours in the T20I series, which India won 2-1.
Brief Scores: India 255/9 in 50 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 75, Pooja Vastrakar 56; Inoka Ranaweera 2-22, Chamari Athapaththu 2-45) beat Sri Lanka 216 all out in 47.3 overs (Nilakshi de Silva 48 not out, Chamari Athapaththu 44; Rajeshwari Gayakwad 3-36, Meghna 2-32) by 39 runs