PTI Visakhapatnam
Jemimah Rodrigues executed her shots with great skill and style en route to a scintillating, unbeaten 44-ball 69 as India crushed Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the first Women’s T20 International here on Sunday.
Opting to field, India restricted Sri Lanka to a modest 121 for six after the visiting batters struggled to put away the loose balls, even as dew made its presence felt earlier than expected.
India completed the chase of 122 with as many as 32 balls to spare. Rodrigues forged crucial partnerships of 54 runs with Smriti Mandhana (25 off 25 balls) and 55 with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (15 not out off 16 balls) to steer the home side to a comfortable victory and a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. Rodrigues’ innings was highlighted by a remarkable over from left-arm wrist spinner Shashini Gimhani, where she struck four boundaries.
Shafali Verma had started the chase aggressively with three boundaries in the first over but was soon dismissed by Gimhani. Mandhana, however, reached her 4000th T20I run with well-timed strokes, while Rodrigues’ late cuts and drives kept the scoreboard ticking. Harmanpreet Kaur ensured a composed finish alongside Rodrigues to wrap up the match. Earlier, Vishmi Gunaratne top-scored for Sri Lanka with 39 off 43 balls, while Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama contributed 20 and 21 respectively. Chamari Athapaththu struck a few early boundaries but was eventually bowled by Kranti Gaud, giving India the first breakthrough. Deepti Sharma (1/20 in 4 overs) produced a brilliant fielding effort to prevent a boundary, and Arundhati Reddy and Vaishnavi Sharma bowled economically to maintain pressure. Despite a few dropped catches by Shree Charani, India’s disciplined bowling
and Rodrigues’ masterful innings ensured a commanding win.
