In a dramatic showdown in Colombo, Chamari Athapaththu’s Sri Lanka fell short in the final of the Women’s Tri-Nation ODI Series, succumbing to a dominant India by a staggering 97 runs. India set the stage ablaze with a mammoth total of 342/7, leaving Sri Lanka with a mountain to climb. Despite Athapaththu’s valiant effort, scoring a gritty 51 off 66 balls, the hosts crumbled under pressure, bowled out for 245 in 48.2 overs.
The series proved to be a challenging one for Athapaththu, both as a captain and a player. While Sri Lanka managed to secure a spot in the final, her leadership and decisions came under scrutiny. Across five matches, she accumulated 139 runs at an average of 27.80, including two half-centuries, and claimed five wickets. However, it wasn’t enough to steer her team to glory.
“We Have to Improve Our Fielding” – Chamari Athapaththu
Reflecting on the defeat during the post-match presentation, Athapaththu acknowledged the areas needing improvement ahead of the upcoming ODI World Cup. “First of all, congratulations to India, they played exceptionally well today. Chasing 300-plus is never easy, and while we fought hard, we let ourselves down with dropped catches and missed runout opportunities. Our bowling unit also struggled in the middle overs, but credit to Smriti Mandhana for her outstanding batting,” she said.
“Fielding is a major concern for us. Throughout the tournament, we’ve dropped catches and missed crucial runout chances. SLC is working on bringing in new fielding coaches, and we need to focus on this aspect. Additionally, our batting needs more power-hitters. There’s a lot of work to be done before the World Cup,” Athapaththu concluded.
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