India booked a semi-final berth in the women's Twenty20 World Cup after humbling Sri Lanka by five wickets in a rain-marred Pool B match, in Taunton, on Monday.
Punam Raut scored a patient 30 off 40 balls and Mithali Raj an unbeaten 22-ball 32 as India romped home after restricting the Lankans to a paltry 94 for six in a rain-reduced 18 overs-a-side match at County Ground.
Chasing 95 to win, openers Punam and Anjum Chopra (11) made a watchful start, scoring 27 in the first seven overs before the latter was sent packing by Udeshika Prabodani.
India soon suffered a mini-collapse, losing Sulakshana Naik (2) and Rumeli Dhar (0), and were reduced to 39 for 3 in 10 overs.
Mithali then joined Punam and clubbed two fours in a crucial 24-run stand between them before the opener was run-out in the 13th over.
However, Mithali continued and stitched 19 runs with Reema Molhotra first and later forged an unbeaten 16-run stand with Amita Sharma to score the winning runs with seven balls to spare.
Earlier, fast bowler Rumeli and left-arm spinner Gouhar Sultana bagged two wickets each to help India restrict a hapless Sri Lanka after skipper Chamari Polgampola elected to bat.
Sri Lanka could not recover from the early burst by Rumeli and lost half of their side in 13 overs before Deepika Rasangika provided some respectability to their total with a 20-ball 24.
Rumeli ripped through the Lankan top order and picked two crucial wickets -- Inoka Galagedara (6) and Hiruka Fernando (2) -- giving away just four runs.
However, it was fellow-pacer Amita who began the rot, dismissing skipper Chamari Polgampola (2) in the third over.
Chamari Atapaththu (16) and Dilani Manodara (17) tired to steady the ship, putting up 21 runs as Sri Lanka crawled to 34 at the halfway mark, but Sultana soon got rid off Chamari in the next over.
Sultana struck again in her next over, dismissing Eshani Kaushalya (7) to reduce them to 55 for five in 13 overs.
Monodara also did not last long and perished in the 16th over. If it hadn't been for Rasangika's late burst, things might have been more embarrassing for the Lankans.
Scorecard
Sri Lanka:
Chamari Polgampola b Amita Sharma 2
Inoka Galagedara lbw b Rumeli Dhar 6
Hiruka Fernando c Punam Raut b Rumeli Dhar 2
Chamari Atapaththu c Punam Raut b Gouhar Sultana 16
Dilani Manodara c Amita Sharma b Reema Malhotra 17
Eshani Kaushalya c Anjum Chopra b Gouhar Sultana 7
Deepika Rasangika not out 24
Sripali Weerakkody not out 8
Extras: (LB 5, W 7) 12
Total: 94-6 (18 overs)
Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-10, 3-16, 4-37, 5-55, 6-72.
Bowling: Jhulan Goswami 3-0-19-0, Rumeli Dhar 4-2-4-2, Amita Sharma 4-0-23-1, Gouhar Sultana 4-0-22-2, Priyanka Roy 1-0-8-0, Reema Malhotra 2-0-13-1.
India:
Punam Raut run out 30
Anjum Chopra b Udeshika 11
Sulakshana Naik lbw b Rose Fernando 2
Rumeli Dhar run out 0
Mithali Raj not out 32
Reema Malhotra b Kaushalya 12
Amita Sharma not out 5
Extras: (LB 1, W 1, NB 1) 3
Total: (16.5 Over for five) 95
Fall of wickets: 1-27, 2-30, 3-36, 4-60, 5-79.
Bowling: Sripali Weerakkody 3.5-0-27-0, Udeshika Prabodani 4-0-13-1, Chamari Polgampola 3-0-10-0, Rose Fernando 2-0-17-1, Eshani Kaushalya 3-0-21-1, Saduni Abeyawickrama 1-0-6-0.
