Dominant top-order batting had set up India’s wins in four of the five T20Is against Sri Lanka. On Tuesday, in the fifth and final match at Thiruvananthapuram, other heroes emerged to help the hosts beat Sri Lanka by 15 runs and complete a 5–0 whitewash. Chasing 176 runs to avoid a clean sweep, Sri Lanka lost captain Chamari Athapaththu cheaply for two runs, caught by Deepti Sharma at cover off Arundhati Reddy. It ended a difficult series for the southpaw, who amassed only 103 runs in five matches. Hasini Perera and Imesha Dulani then laid the foundation, starting briskly but prioritising strike rotation over boundary-hitting. Their approach allowed India’s spinners to settle into a rhythm without needing to take undue risks. The pair paced the partnership smartly, choosing their moments to attack, and took Sri Lanka to 75 for 1 at the halfway stage. With a platform in place, Sri Lanka needed quick runs to stay in touch with the required rate. Dulani provided the impetus by taking 11 runs off the 11th over from …