India Women vs Sri Lanka Women: India extended their dominance over Sri Lanka with another convincing win in the second women’s T20 international. It was yet another match that saw India’s spin quartet strangle the Sri Lanka batting lineup, followed by an aggressive top-order chase to seal the match comfortably.
An undefeated inning from Shafali Verma ensured an effortless victory for India as they triumphed to take a 2-0 lead in the India women vs Sri Lanka women series.
Spinners Set the Tone for India in IND vs SL Encounter
Once again, the Indian spin duo had the last laugh. The left-arm spinners Vaishnavi Sharma and N. Shree Charani picked up two wickets each. Sneh Rana replaced the absentee Deepti Sharma, who had a slight fever and thus did not play. The Indian bowlers showed discipline in their line and sucked all the pace out of the Sri Lankan middle order.
Sri Lanka did not fare too well as they lost their wickets in clumps and scored meager 129 runs, which was always going to be an easy target for the Indian batting lineup.
Chamari Athapaththu’s fightback
Captain of the Sri Lanka team, Chamari Athapaththu, showed intentions right from the onset after her team was asked to bat. She wanted to lead the charge and took the Indian bowlers down, scoring 31 runs off just 24 deliveries. Her departure, however, triggered a turning point for the team.
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After that came a glimmer of hope with brief alliances of Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama, but then India’s spinners just wound up the screws. Sri Lanka scored just two boundaries in the final overs and lost six wickets for just 24 runs, posting a team total that was again below par for the second consecutive game.
No Deepti Sharma, No Problem for India
Though they were missing Deepti Sharma, who was now recognized as the world No.1 T20 International bowler, India had no lack of coordination. Sneh Rana was unblemished, using her flight effectively to remove Athapaththu and bowl a match-turning maiden over that soon swung the game completely in India’s favor.
Vaishnavi Sharma has also celebrated her first international wicket, showcasing the capability of India’s spin resources, which has been reflected in the series of IND vs SL.
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Shafali Verma Wipes out Sri Lanka in the Chase
Chasing 129, India never looked like they were under pressure at all. Shafali Verma, who had a silent start in the last match, was at her devastating best this time. Initially, she let Smriti Mandhana take the lead and then took charge completely as soon as Mandhana departed.
Shafali attacked Sri Lankan spinners severely, especially during the powerplay. She was smashing boundaries wherever she wanted, decimating Inoka Ranaweera and Chamari Athapaththu’s bowling skills through sweeps and sweet drives.
She reached her half-century in just 27 balls and remained unbeaten on 69 off 34 deliveries, helping India win the match at an average run rate of around 11 per over and with 49 balls left.
India Take 2-0 Lead in India Women vs Sri Lanka Women Series
With this impressive performance, the Indo-Sri Lanka women T20 series is now a 2-0 victory in favor of the Indian women at the end of the Visakhapatnam leg of the series. The remaining matches of the Indo-Sri Lanka women T20 series will take place in Thiruvananthapuram.
The captain of Sri Lanka, Athapaththu, later said that they could not take advantage of optimal batting conditions, while once again, India demonstrated their overall strength as they won the IND vs SL match.
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