The Indian women's cricket team delivered a commanding performance to kick off their five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, securing a comprehensive eight-wicket victory at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. The win gives the hosts a 1-0 lead, highlighting a significant gap in quality between the two sides on the day.
Rodrigues Shines as India Chase With Ease
Facing a modest target of 122, India's chase was anchored by a superb, unbeaten knock of 69 runs from Jemimah Rodrigues. Her composed innings ensured the home team chased down Sri Lanka's total of 121 for 6 with plenty of overs to spare, wrapping up the win comfortably. Despite the batting-friendly conditions and the presence of dew, which typically hinders bowlers, the Sri Lankan batters failed to post a competitive score.
The visitors' innings never found momentum, especially after the early dismissal of their captain and key batter, Chamari Athapaththu. While Vishmi Gunaratna (39), Hasini Perera (20), and Harshitha Samarawickrama (21) got starts, they failed to accelerate, resulting in a sub-par strike rate and a below-par total. Athapaththu herself admitted her team's batting was not proactive enough. "We need to bat positively. The total on the board was not good enough to defend and we have to improve and find a way to score big runs," the skipper said after the match.
Areas of Concern Amidst Victory
Despite the positive result, the Indian camp identified fielding as a major area for improvement. The bowlers performed admirably to restrict Sri Lanka, but the team was sloppy on the field, dropping several catches. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur expressed clear dissatisfaction with this aspect of their game. "We have been working hard on our fielding but not sure why we keep dropping catches. We will come up with a better approach in the next match," she stated.
One of the bright spots for India was the debut of left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma, who showed excellent control during her spell of 4-0-16-0, even though she remained wicketless. With the series moving quickly—the second T20I is scheduled at the same venue on Tuesday—players like Shafali Varma will be eager to make an impact after missing out on a good batting track. Established stars like Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet, Richa Ghosh, and Amanjot Kaur will also look to capitalize as India start as firm favourites once again.
Looking Ahead to the Second T20I
The Sri Lankan team has little time to regroup before the next contest. Their over-reliance on Athapaththu was exposed, and the middle order must find a way to build partnerships and increase the scoring rate. For India, the focus will be on maintaining their batting dominance while sharpening their fielding skills. The comprehensive nature of this victory sets a strong tone for the series, but both teams have clear points to address before they meet again in Vizag.
