The Indian women's cricket team delivered a commanding performance to start their five-match T20 International series against Sri Lanka, securing a comprehensive eight-wicket victory at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Sunday, December 21. Riding high on confidence after their recent historic ODI World Cup triumph, the hosts displayed a masterclass in both bowling and batting to take a 1-0 lead.
Bowling Unit Lays the Foundation for Victory
After winning the toss, captain Harmanpreet Kaur chose to field first on a surface that promised runs but was expected to aid the bowlers later due to dew. The decision proved astute as the Indian bowling attack applied relentless pressure from the outset. They maintained impeccable discipline, giving the Sri Lankan batters no room to free their arms or build substantial partnerships.
Debutant Vaishnavi Sharma made an immediate impact with her control, conceding a mere 16 runs in her full quota of four overs. The experienced Deepti Sharma set the tone with a maiden over to begin her spell and finished with impressive figures of 1 for 20. The early breakthrough came from Kranti Gaud, who celebrated her maiden T20I wicket by dismissing the dangerous Chamari Athapaththu for 15.
Vishmi Gunaratne provided the main resistance for the visitors, top-scoring with 39 runs off 43 deliveries. Hasini Perera (20) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (21) offered brief support, though the latter had a scare when a bouncer from Amanjot Kaur struck her helmet. Despite some late attempts to accelerate, Sri Lanka could only manage a below-par total of 121 for 6 in their 20 overs.
Mandhana's Historic Feat and Rodrigues' Masterclass
Chasing a modest target of 122, India suffered an early setback when the aggressive Shafali Verma departed for 9 runs. However, any nerves were quickly settled by the composed partnership between Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues, who added 54 crucial runs for the second wicket.
During her innings of 25 runs from 25 balls, Smriti Mandhana etched her name in the record books. She became the first Indian woman and only the second batter globally to cross the 4000-run milestone in Women's T20 Internationals. Achieving this landmark in record time in terms of balls faced, Mandhana's milestone was a highlight before she was caught off the bowling of Inoka Ranaweera.
With the platform set, Jemimah Rodrigues took complete charge of the chase. Teaming up with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, she constructed an unbroken match-winning partnership of 55 runs. Rodrigues combined technical elegance with powerful stroke-play, reaching a well-deserved half-century off just 34 balls.
She remained unbeaten on a brilliant 69 runs from 44 deliveries, an innings decorated with elegant boundaries. Her knock guided India to the target in just 14.4 overs, with a whopping 32 balls to spare. Captain Kaur provided steady support at the other end, rotating the strike efficiently.
Seamless Transition and Series Outlook
This dominant win underscores the Indian team's seamless transition from the 50-over format to the T20I arena following their World Cup success. The clinical nature of the victory, built on collective effort, sends a strong message at the start of the series.
Jemimah Rodrigues was rightfully awarded the Player of the Match for her match-winning, unbeaten half-century. The series will continue in Visakhapatnam before the action shifts to Thiruvananthapuram for the remaining matches.
Brief Scores:
Sri Lanka: 121/6 in 20 overs (Vishmi Gunaratne 39; Deepti Sharma 1/20).
India: 122/2 in 14.4 overs (Jemimah Rodrigues 69*, Smriti Mandhana 25).
