India Women crushed Sri Lanka Women by eight wickets with 32 balls to spare in the first T20I of the five-match series at Visakhapatnam. After being invited to bat, Sri Lanka Women managed only 121/6 in 20 overs. Vishmi Gunaratne was the highest scorer for Sri Lanka. Deepti Sharma, with figures of 1/20 in four overs, was the most successful bowler for India.
While chasing, India reached the target comfortably, powered by a blazing half-century from Jemimah Rodrigues. With this victory, India took a 1–0 lead in the series.
Spinners choke Sri Lanka despite missed chances
India used three spinners and three seamers. Young pacer Kranti Gaud, playing just her second T20I, was preferred over Renuka Singh as the main seamer. She made an immediate impact by dismissing Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu in the third over.
After conceding a few boundaries, Gaud changed her angle and bowled a length ball at 109.2 kph that nipped back in to beat Athapaththu’s inside edge. It was her maiden T20I wicket and gave India early momentum.
From there, the spinners took charge. Sri Lanka’s batters struggled to rotate strike or accelerate. Vishmi Gunaratne, Hasini Perera, and Harshitha Samarawickrama tried sweeps and variations, but India’s bowling kept them quiet.
India did drop several catches in the field. Vaishnavi Sharma, on debut, saw chances go down. N Shree Charani and Smriti Mandhana were also involved in missed opportunities. Despite that, India stayed disciplined and conceded only 30 runs in the final four overs. Sri Lanka finished with a modest total.
Rodrigues shines in milestone match
Jemimah Rodrigues played her 100th T20I and marked the occasion in style. She scored her 14th half-century in the format and removed any doubt over India’s No. 3 position.
India lost Shafali Verma early, but Rodrigues and Smriti Mandhana steadied the chase. Mandhana looked scratchy early but still reached a major milestone, becoming only the second woman to cross 4,000 runs in T20Is.
Rodrigues took control at the other end. She used the depth of the crease well and scored freely with sweeps and delicate touches. A 16-run over before the powerplay ended helped India raise the tempo. She reached her fifty in 34 balls.
Comfortable finish with Harmanpreet
After Mandhana’s dismissal, Rodrigues continued to bat fluently. She added an unbeaten 55-run stand with Harmanpreet Kaur and guided India home with ease. Rodrigues finished on 69 not out from 44 balls.
India completed the chase smoothly and handed Sri Lanka plenty to think about ahead of the second T20I at the same venue on Tuesday.
Brief Scorecard
