Jemimah Rodrigues continued her outstanding form from the Women’s ODI World Cup, scoring an unbeaten half-century to help India secure an eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the first match of the five-match women’s T20I series at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
The Indian bowlers put up an excellent performance, restricting Sri Lanka to a modest 121/6 in 20 overs. Jemimah, who had scored a century in the World Cup final, remained not out with 69 off 44 balls on Sunday, leading India to 122/2, winning with 32 balls to spare.
India Vs Sri Lanka: 1st T20I – Highlights
Jemimah Rodrigues also joined Mithali Raj at the top for the most 50-plus scores for India against Sri Lanka in Women’s T20Is,
each achieving this feat in four innings out of 14 matches. Smriti Mandhana is second with with three 50-plus knocks in 21 innings and Harmanpreet Kaur is third with two 50-plus scores from 20 innings.
| Player | 50+ Scores vs SL | Innings |
|---|---|---|
| Jemimah Rodrigues | 4 | 14 |
| Mithali Raj | 4 | 14 |
| Smriti Mandhana | 3 | 21 |
| Harmanpreet Kaur | 2 | 20 |
Jemimah reached her half-century in 34 balls, hitting 10 boundaries. She shared two significant partnerships: a 54-run stand for the second wicket with Smriti Mandhana, who contributed a run-a-ball 25 after India lost Shafali Verma (9) early, and an unbeaten 55-run partnership with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur for the third wicket.
Jemimah displayed patience before unleashing some superb shots, including late cuts, and showed excellent running between the wickets, encouraging Mandhana and Harmanpreet to keep up. Mandhana, cautious and patient, scored 25, becoming the first Indian batter to reach 4000 runs in women’s T20I cricket. She hit four boundaries before being caught by Nilakshika Silva at deep extra cover off Inoka Ranaweera.
Rodrigues found support in Harmanpreet Kaur as they steered India to a comfortable win, with the captain scoring 15 not out, putting India 1-0 up in the series.
India and Sri Lanka had contrasting selection strategies, with India retaining most of their World Cup-winning squad while Sri Lanka introduced several young players, as both teams aimed to find the best combination for the Women’s T20 World Cup in 2026.
(With inputs from Agencies)
