Harmanpreet Kaur and India's spinners combined to give the visitors a comfortable 56-run win over Bangladesh in the rain-hit fourth T20I. India's dominance continued in Sylhet as they took a 4-0 lead in the five-match series.
Harmanpreet, playing her 300th international match, top-scored with a brisk 39 to guide the visitors to a competitive 122 for 6 in 14 overs after being asked to bat on an overcast day. Chasing a revised DLS target of 125, Bangladesh lost a string of wickets to reach 66 for 7. S Asha - India's oldest women's T20I debutant at 33 - and Deepti Sharma starred with two wickets apiece.
Bangladesh made three changes to the XI that played the third game but were never in the chase on a sluggish surface. After giving India their first breakthrough with the wicket of Murshida Khatun in the fourth over, Deepti dismissed Dilhara Akter (21 off 25). Rubya Haider (13 off 17) was also run out in the eighth over after an altercation with captain Nigar Sultana.
Asha's first wicket was the prized scalp of Sultana, who couldn't read a googly on the stumps and was trapped lbw. The leg-spinner added another wicket when she dismissed Shorna Akter, who mistimed a slog-sweep and was caught by Richa Ghosh off a leading edge. Asha finished her quota of three overs with figures of 2 for 18.
Bangladesh's batting collapse continued to haunt them in the series as they slipped from 38 for 1 to 47 for 6, losing the plot and the match.
India lost Shafali Verma early for a four-ball 2 in the second over. D Hemalatha played a cameo 22 off 14, hitting two fours and as many sixes, including two powerful lofted drives over extra cover. But young fast bowler Marufa Akther trapped her lbw with an inswinger, cutting her stay short. India reached 48 for 2 in 5.5 overs before rain interrupted play for an hour.
When play resumed, Smriti Mandhana got going with an 18-ball 22 but was bowled by Rabeya Khan. But India did not falter, thanks to Harmanpreet and Richa Ghosh.
The duo put on 44 runs for the fourth wicket off just 28 balls. Harmanpreet picked up the pace after Mandhana's dismissal, going from 10 off 8 to 39 off 26 balls, hitting five fours. Ghosh played a 15-ball 24, hitting three fours and a six as India amassed 52 runs in the last five overs. Despite a couple of shots going off the edges, India scored quickly to set a solid target in 14 overs.
India will be looking to complete the series sweep when they take to the field for the final match on May 9.