Shafali Verma’s unbeaten 69 powered India to a seven-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the second Women’s T20 International on Tuesday, comfortably chasing a modest target.
India now lead the five-match series 2-0 after another dominant performance. They restricted Sri Lanka to 128 for 9, thanks to disciplined bowling from experienced spinner Sneh Rana, supported by young spinners Vaishnavi Sharma and Shree Charani.
During India’s chase, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana was dismissed for 14, but Shafali, buoyed by her stellar World Cup final performance, dominated the bowlers with her 34-ball knock, securing victory in just 11.5 overs.
India’s successive successful chases within 15 overs highlight the team’s high confidence.
Shafali’s innings included
11 boundaries and a six. She excelled against left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera, stepping out to hit flighted deliveries over extra cover with immaculate footwork, whether lofting the ball or pulling it.
Jemimah Rodrigues, the newly appointed Delhi Capitals skipper, also attacked and contributed 26 off 15 balls, adding 58 runs with Shafali in just 4.3 overs. By the time Rodrigues was dismissed, the match was effectively over. Shafali reached her half-century off 27 balls and quickly finished the chase.
Earlier, off-spinner Rana, replacing Deepti Sharma due to fever, kept the Lankan batters in check with figures of 1 for 11 in 4 overs, including a maiden over—a rarity in T20 cricket.
Charani, who impressed during India’s ODI World Cup triumph, took 2 for 23 in her overs, while Vaishnavi, after her impressive debut, finished with 2 for 32, preventing easy runs in her second spell.
India’s superb ground fielding, following a patchy previous game, resulted in three run-outs as the last six Sri Lankan wickets fell for just 24 runs.
Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu scored 31 off 24 balls, hitting seamers Kranti Gaud and Arundhati Reddy over the ropes. However, Rana kept her quiet with good-length deliveries. Unable to manoeuvre the strike or hit big, Athapaththu was caught at long-off by Amanjot Kaur after Rana shortened the length slightly.
Athapaththu’s opening partner Vishmi Gunaratne was dismissed cheaply, offering a simple return catch to Gaud.
Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama stitched a 44-run stand, but struggled against India’s spin trio. After Hasini offered a tame return catch off a Charani full-toss, Sri Lanka lost wickets in quick succession towards the end, failing to recover.
(With PTI Inputs)
