India Women produced a clinical all-round performance to defeat Sri Lanka Women by eight wickets in Visakhapatnam, chasing down a modest target of 122 with ease and completing the task inside 15 overs.
After opting to bowl first at the ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium, the Indian bowlers delivered a disciplined display to restrict Sri Lanka Women to 121/6 on a surface that offered good value for batting. Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu showed early intent but was dismissed for 15 in the third over by Kranti Gaud, denting the visitors’ momentum.
Hasini Perera (20) and Vishmi Gunaratne (39) steadied the innings with a cautious partnership through the powerplay, reaching 31/1.
However, once the Indian spinners came into play, scoring became increasingly difficult. Perera fell while attempting to accelerate just before the drinks break, and despite being dropped twice, Harshitha Samarawickrama failed to capitalise and was clean-bowled in the next over.
Sri Lanka struggled to find momentum in the death overs. Gunaratne was run out in the 18th over, Nilakshi de Silva departed cheaply, and Kavisha Dilhari fell off the final ball as the visitors finished on a below-par total. Kranti Gaud, Deepti Sharma and Sree Charani picked up a wicket each for India.
In reply, India got off to a proactive start with Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana taking the attack to the Sri Lankan bowlers. While Verma fell early, Mandhana’s composed run-a-ball 25 ensured India remained in control of the chase.
The contest was then firmly put to bed by Jemimah Rodrigues, who starred with a fluent 69 off 44 deliveries. Displaying excellent footwork and timing, Rodrigues repeatedly pierced the field, particularly finding the third-man region with precision. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur stayed unbeaten on 15 to guide India home comfortably.
The Sri Lankan bowlers had little to show for their efforts, with Kawya Kavindi and Inoka Ranaweera the only wicket-takers. India’s dominant performance with both bat and ball underlined their superiority and sealed a comprehensive victory in Visakhapatnam.
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