India Women began their five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka with a dominant eight-wicket victory at Visakhapatnam.
After a disciplined performance in the field restricted the visitors to a modest 121/6,
a scintillating unbeaten half-century from Jemimah Rodrigues (69)* ensured the chase was a mere formality. India now leads the series 1-0.
Opting to bowl first, India's attack utilized the dewy conditions effectively. Sri Lanka's captain Chamari Athapaththu started aggressively with three boundaries but was cleaned up early by Kranti Gaud for 15.
Sri Lanka struggled to find momentum throughout the middle overs as India's bowlers maintained tight lines. Vishmi Gunaratne anchored the innings with a patient 39, but the lack of support from the other end and three costly run-outs prevented any late-innings acceleration. Deepti Sharma was the pick of the veteran bowlers (1/20), while debutant Vaishnavi Sharma impressed with an economical spell of 0/16 in her four overs.
India's chase hit a brief speed bump when Shafali Verma fell for 9 in the second over. However, Smriti Mandhana (25) and Jemimah Rodrigues stabilized the innings with a 54-run partnership. During her knock, Mandhana made history by becoming only the second woman to cross the 4,000-run mark in T20Is.
After Mandhana's departure in the 9th over, Jemimah took total control. She dismantled the Sri Lankan spin attack, hitting 10 boundaries in a 44-ball 69*. She reached her 14th T20I half-century with a flurry of late cuts and drives, eventually sealing the win alongside captain Harmanpreet Kaur (15*) in just 14.4 overs.
IND vs SL Women's 1st T20I Awards, Records
Player of the Match: Jemimah Rodrigues for her match-winning 69*.
Record Alert: Smriti Mandhana became the first Indian woman to reach 4,000 T20I runs.
Debuts: Vaishnavi Sharma and Shree Charani made their T20I debuts for India, both contributing to a disciplined bowling effort.
IND-W vs SL-W Brief Scores
Sri Lanka: 121/6 (20.0 Ov) - Gunaratne 39, Perera 20; Deepti Sharma 1/20
India: 122/2 (14.4 Ov) - Rodrigues 69*, Mandhana 25; Ranaweera 1/17
