Incredible India knock out Sri Lanka and march back into T20 World Cup contention

Match Centre and Scorecard

The Indian top order set up the win with a blistering display of hitting in Dubai, building off a solid platform to smash the biggest score of the tournament so far.

And the bowlers finished off the job in style, bowling Sri Lanka out for 90 to win by 82 runs.

Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana starred as India’s put Sri Lanka to the sword having won the toss and opted to bat first in the crucial Group A contest.

Mandhana hit a sublime 50 (38 balls), putting on a stand of 98 for the first wicket with Shafali Verma (43) to set India up for a big total.

And captain Kaur launched India up to the tournament’s highest total, plundering 52 runs from just 27 deliveries, and finishing off her knock with back-to-back fours to reach a total of 172/3

Sri Lanka’s reply started in dramatic fashion as substitute fielder Radha Yadav took a blinding catch off just the second ball of the innings to send Vishmi Gunaratne back to the dugout.

WATCH: Radha Yadav's stunning catch

The dangerous pair of Chamari Athapaththu (1) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (3) were removed early to set India on the path to victory.

And every bowler returned tidy figures as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 90, with Arundhati Reddy, Asha Sobhana and Renuka Singh the stand-out contributors.

WATCH: India's winning moment

Bowlers shine to seal huge winning margin

India were in a dominant position thanks to their fiery first-innings effort, but the drama ramped up another notch off just the second ball of Renuka Singh’s opening over, when Gunaratne skied a shot high into the Dubai sky and substitute fielder Yadav produced a moment of magic to hold on to a diving catch.

The reaction of her teammates said it all, and a buoyed India soon took a stranglehold on the game.

Shreyanka Patil delivered the crucial blow, drawing the outside edge from Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu (1), who shook her head in dismay as her disappointing tournament continued.

WATCH: Shreyanka Patil with the big scalp of Chamari Athapaththu

And another edge behind accounted for Samarawickrama (3) as Renuka bagged her second of the innings.

Defiant knocks from Anushka Sanjeewani (20), Kavisha Dilhari (21) and Ama Kanchana (19) saw Sri Lanka draw the game out, but the required rate had long since become unattainable before Sri Lanka were finally bowled out with just one ball remaining in the innings, still 82 runs shy of their target.

Defeat means that Sri Lanka are no longer able to reach the semi-finals, having lost all three of their Group A matches.

The story of the first innings

Earlier, Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and opted to bat first against Sri Lanka in Dubai.

And the Indian openers took advantage of the opportunity to put runs on the board, building a strong partnership to end the powerplay unbeaten.

WATCH: Shafali Verma gets off to a flier against Sri Lanka

It was Shafali Verma who set the early tempo against a spin-heavy Sri Lanka attack, with Smriti Mandhana getting in on the act after giving herself time to get in.

Mandhana hit the game’s first maximum, and at the halfway point of the innings the pair were still out in the middle, with the score accelerating to 78/0.

Mandhana reached her half century, but Sri Lanka hit back with two wickets in two balls, with Mandhana run out for 50 before Verma departed for 43.

Yet the wickets did little to stem India’s flow, as Jemimah Rodrigues hit a quickfire 16 (10) and Richa Ghosh contributed a run-a-ball 6* , both playing a supporting role to an extravagant knock from the captain.

Harmanpreet Kaur’s innings was arguably the best of the tournament so far, with the Indian skipper slamming nine boundaries to finish unbeaten on 52* from just 27 deliveries, boosting her side’s total to 172/3 – the highest so far at this World Cup.