India Women Start T20 Series Against Sri Lanka With Convincing Win

Excellent Opening Show in Visakhapatnam

The women’s cricket team, after their win in the ODI World Cup, was expected to perform in their first T20 tournament. The first game of this five-match T20 series opened with a statement win by India against Sri Lanka in Visakhapatnam, as India won by eight wickets in the first match of the series, giving India the upper hand in this tournament.

Bowlers Restrict Sri Lanka to Modest Total

Sri Lanka chose to bat first after losing the toss and faced issues throughout the innings while scoring. The Indian bowlers were maintaining accurate lines and efficient fielding support. A total of 121 runs were scored by Sri Lanka for six wickets in 20 overs. The opening batswoman Vishmi Gunaratne scored the maximum number of 39 runs off 43 deliveries.
The opening batswoman was followed by the skipper Chamari Athapaththu, who scored 15 runs before being bowled out. Some batswomen found difficulty in striking and saw three batswomen being run out.
Deepti Sharma bowled an economic spell, giving away only 20 runs and taking one wicket. Kranthi Gowd and Sri Charani also got one wicket each.

India Chase Target With Ease

India's innings was quite steady and assured. They lost Shafali Verma early, but there was no point where the Indian team was put under pressure. Jemimah Rodrigues scored heavily and was in charge of the innings. She remained unbeaten with 69 runs off just 44 balls, with 10 fours in her kitty. Jemimah and Smriti Mandhana added 54 runs for the second wicket, while she remained unbeaten with Harmanpreet Kaur.
India reached the target in 14.4 overs, losing just two wickets and having 32 balls remaining. The Player of the Match award was received by Jemimah Rodrigues.

Smriti Mandhana Achievement Milestone

Smriti Mandhana has scored 25 runs. She also marked an achievement. She is the first Indian batter who has surpassed 4,000 runs in women’s international T20 cricket. She has become the second female cricketer. Suzie Bates from New Zealand is the first female cricketer who has surpassed this achievement.