A couple of months ago, Shafali Verma was recalled to Team India for the ODI World Cup knockouts after an injury to Pratika Rawal. Since returning to the side after the lucky break, the 21-year-old has barely put a foot wrong and continues to influence games.It was no different on Friday in the third T20I against Sri Lanka at the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, where her sparkling unbeaten knock of 79 runs off 42 balls played a decisive role in helping the hosts clinch an eight-wicket win and seal the series 3-0 with two matches to go.Chasing a sub-par 113 for a series victory, Shafali got off the blocks in the opening over, taking 14 runs off Malsha Shehani and backed that with 10 runs in the third over, bowled by Nimesha Madushani, to take India to 26/0.At the other end, it seemed like Smriti Mandhana was batting on a completely different surface, struggling to get going and eventually falling for a run, lbw to Kaveesha Dilhari. Her dismissal for the third lowest score this series, however, had no effect on Verma. The right-hander, who had made an unbeaten 69 in the second T20I, continued to toy with the Sri Lankan attack. She took a liking for Madushani, smashing her for 19 runs in her second over to take India to 46/0 after five overs.She secured her fifty off 24 balls in the sixth over and ensured that India had erased nearly half the score, ending the power play at 55/1. Sri Lanka were in dire need of more than a couple of wickets to stay in the contest, and while Dihari claimed her second wicket of the evening, dismissing Rodrigues, bowled for nine runs, the bare nature of the pitch, with hardly any help for pace or spin, meant that it had to take something truly spectacular to take the game close.Verma, in the company of captain Harmanpreet Kaur, ensured that would not happen, closing out the match with a boundary off Shehani and putting on 48 runs off 32 balls for the third wicket. The victory carried added significance for Harmanpreet as it was her 77th T20I win, going past former Australian captain Meg Lanning, who had 76 wins in 100 matches, to become the most successful skipper in women’s T20Is.Medium pacer Renuka Singh Thakur did the groundwork. Drafted in for her first match of the series, she produced two incisive spells to give India the upper hand. Her figures of 4/21 from four overs restricted Sri Lanka to 112/7. The pacer was supported by Deepti Sharma, who returned after recovering from an illness, and grabbed three wickets for 18 runs in her four overs.Story continues below this ad Renuka Singh produced two incisive spells to give India the upper hand vs Sri Lanka. (PHOTO: Creimas/BCCI)Put into bat for the third match in succession, Sri Lanka made a brisk start through Hasini Perera, who replaced Vishmi Gunaratne at the top of the order with three boundaries in the first three overs. At the other end, however, captain Chamari Athapaththu struggled to settle and was unable to match her partner’s momentum. Deepti struck in the fifth over, dismissing Athapaththu for three, caught by her counterpart Harmanpreet at mid-on.Renuka dented the innings further, removing Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama in the sixth over to leave the visitors in the doldrums at 32/3 after six overs. Imesha Dulani and Dilhari began a steady recovery, with the former taking 13 runs off the 13th over bowled by Kranti Gaud. Recognising the growing partnership, Harmanpreet reintroduced Deepti. The move paid off as she struck in the 14th over, dismissing Dilhari for 20 to break the stand and claim her 150th T20I wicket.Renuka continued to derail the Sri Lanka innings, removing Dulani for 27, caught by Rodrigues at point to claim her fourth wicket of the innings. Unlike at Vizag, the surface at Thiruvananthapuram did not demand Harmanpreet to use the spinners as frequently as she may have wanted to. As a result, Harmanpreet was able to bring her pacers into the game a lot more, which meant Sree Charani, who was the best bowler in the second match, ended up bowling only one over while India’s pacers played a far more prominent role in shaping the outcome.Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 112/7 in 20 overs (Dulani 27; Renuka 4/21, Deepti 3/18) lost to India 115/2 in 13.2 overs (Verma 79 not out; Dilhari 2/18).