Jemimah Rodrigues scored an unbeaten 69 to lead India to an eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the first match of the five-match T20 International series at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
When asked about her mindset after being adjudged the ‘player of the match’, Jemimah said: “When you have good form, don’t waste it.”
India Vs Sri Lanka: 1st T20I – Highlights
Rodrigues displayed excellent form, hitting 10 fours from the 44 balls she faced.
Asked about scoring a bulk of her runs in the backward point and short third man area, she said: “I will still find the gap (smiles). For me it was important to understand the conditions, it was sticky and not as flat as we thought. My mindset was simple
– watch the ball and play according to the merit.”
Game. Set. Done 💪
A convincing victory in Vizag and #TeamIndia have taken a 1️⃣ – 0️⃣ lead in the series 🙌
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/T8EskKzzzW#INDvSL | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/MFBSTi1D84
— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) December 21, 2025
The 25-year-old Indian batter smashed left-arm wrist spinner Shashini Gimhani for four boundaries in a single over.
“Our video analyst Ani sir told us go and watch her videos – she is a mystery spinner. She is a rising star for Sri Lanka and a few game more, she will do well. I just found it easy as I watched her videos and reacted to the ball and played according to it,” Rodrigues revealed at the post-match presentation.
Jemimah Rodrigues in full flow 💪
🎥 A flurry of fours from the #TeamIndia batter 👏
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/T8EskKzzzW#INDvSL | @JemiRodrigues | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/SiRe5fCTRt
— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) December 21, 2025
Opener Smriti Mandhana added 25 runs, and captain Harmanpreet Kaur remained not out with 15, as India chased down the target of 122 with 32 balls remaining. India reached 122 for 2 in 14.4 overs.
Earlier, the Indian bowlers delivered a clinical performance, restricting Sri Lanka to 121 for 6.
Deepti Sharma (1/20), Kranti Gaud (1/23), and Shree Charani (1/30) each took a wicket for India, while three Sri Lankan batters were run out after Harmanpreet won the toss and chose to bowl.
Vishmi Gunaratne top-scored for Sri Lanka with 39, while Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama contributed 20 and 21 runs respectively.
Target T20WC
Jemimah Rodrigues said that India are eyeing the T20 title after comprehensively winning India’s first since winning the ODI World Cup in November.
“We have been doing really well, what’s happened in the past is past. Every day is a new day. The 2026 World Cup is our goal, every game is a new game and we are playing towards that,” she said.
(With inputs from Agencies)
