Visakhapatnam – Jemimah Rodrigues's brilliant, unbeaten half-century propelled India Women to a dominant eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka Women in the first T20I of the five-match series held at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium on Sunday. This win gives India a 1-0 lead in the series.
Sri Lanka, after India opted to field first, struggled to gain momentum and posted a total of 121/6 in their 20 overs. India Women's disciplined bowling attack kept the visitors on a tight leash throughout the innings, with three Sri Lankan batters falling victim to run-outs. Kranti Gaud, Deepti Sharma, and Shree Charani each picked up a wicket. Vishmi Gunaratne top-scored for Sri Lanka with 39 off 43 balls, while captain Chamari Athapaththu was dismissed early for 15. Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama contributed 20 and 21 runs, respectively.
Chasing a target of 122, India made short work of the chase, reaching the target in just 14.4 overs. Jemimah Rodrigues led the charge with an impressive unbeaten 69 off 44 deliveries, smashing 10 boundaries. During her innings, Rodrigues equaled Mithali Raj's record of four 50-plus scores against Sri Lanka in T20Is. Smriti Mandhana also made a valuable contribution of 25 runs, reaching a significant milestone in the process.
Mandhana became the second woman to score 4,000 T20I runs, achieving the feat in record time, surpassing New Zealand's Suzie Bates. Mandhana and Rodrigues forged a crucial 54-run partnership for the second wicket, setting India on course for victory. Rodrigues then combined with captain Harmanpreet Kaur for an unbroken 55-run stand, with Kaur remaining unbeaten on 15.
Deepti Sharma was particularly economical with the ball, finishing with figures of 1 for 20 from her four overs, including a maiden over. Debutant Vaishnavi Sharma bowled an economical spell of 0/16 in her four overs.
Jemimah Rodrigues was named Player of the Match for her outstanding performance. She stated her mindset was to react to the ball and play according to its merit, without focusing on the score.
The second T20I of the series will be held at the same venue on Tuesday.
