The first T20I of the three-match series between India and Sri Lanka was played on June 23 at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in Dambulla, Sri Lanka. India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and elected to bat first.
1st innings: India 138/6 in 20 overs
Winning the toss and electing to bat first, India did not get off to the best of starts as they lost two quick wickets inside four overs. Opening batter Smriti Mandhana was dismissed for one and Sabbhineni Meghana was sent packing without troubling the scorers. Later, Shafali Verma and Harmanpreet Kaur looked to consolidate the innings, however the Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu got the better of Verma (31) in the 10th over. Kaur (22) was living dangerously as she was dropped a couple of times and finally her innings came to an end when Inoka Ranaweera trapped her leg before wicket. Towards the end, Jemimah Rodrigues gave some hope to India as she mustered an unbeaten 36 off 27 balls to top score for the team. Deepti Sharma joined forces with Rodrigues to play a cameo, muscling 17 not out off eight balls. The duo put together 32 runs in the last three overs. On the other hand, for Sri Lanka, the left arm spinner, Ranaweera was the pick of the bowlers as she scalped 30/3 in four overs. Oshadi Ranasinghe and Athapaththu were the other wicket-takers for the island country as they claimed 22/1 and 7/1 respectively.
After a wobbly start, India have managed to put 138 on board, thanks to Jemimah Rodrigues’ unbeaten 38 Runs.
Sri Lanka need 139 Runs to Win. #CricketTwitter #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/GKZQImmWRW
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) June 23, 2022
2nd innings: Sri Lanka 104/5 in 20 overs
In reply, Sri Lanka fought hard but could only manage to score 104/5 in 20 overs falling short of 34 runs in the end. The hosts kept losing wickets at regular intervals which did not help their cause. Captain Chamari Athapaththu too perished after scoring a 19-ball 16. Harshitha Madavi (10) and Ama Kanchana (11) got off to starts but failed to capitalize. Kavisha Dilhari was the lone warrior in the fight as she held Sri Lanka’s batting together with an impressive 47 not out off 49 balls. In the end, Dilhari and wicket-keeper Anushka Sanjeewani (10 not out) stitched an 18-run partnership but it was too late in the day. On the other hand, India had a good outing with the ball. Radha Yadav scalped 22/2 in four overs picking up both the wickets in the seventh over of the innings. The left arm spinner was well-supported by Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar and Shafali Verma, who chipped in with one wicket apiece.
Result: India beat Sri Lanka by 34 runs to take 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series.
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I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.