India Women outshined Sri Lanka Women by seven wickets in the second T20I of the 5-match series at the Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA‑VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam.
India won the toss and making the best use of it, elected to field first. Sri Lanka sent into bat first, never sustained momentum despite several promising starts. Skipper Chamari Athapaththu provided crucial runs with a score of 31 runs off 24 balls including three boundaries and two sixes, but India’s bowling attack kept chipping away wickets to ensure Sri Lanka was not able to build partnership and did not turn the score into a defining one.
Hasini Perera scored 22 off 28 and Harshitha Samarawickrama struck 33 off 32 balls, they tried to stitch together a stabilizing stand, yet both were dismissed soon, leaving the Sri Lankan side at just 128/9 after 20 overs. Young Vaishnavi Sharma and N Sree Charani took two wickets each while Kranti Gaud and Sneh Rana got one wicket respectively.
In response, India’s batting unit delivered a strategic and disciplined performance, finding gaps hitting those crucial boundaries and building momentum and not letting the game slip from their hand even for a second.
Chasing 129, India lost Smriti Mandhana early for 14, but her opening partner Shafali Verma took the responsibility in her hands. The opener launched a sustained onslaught on Sri Lankan bowlers, an explosive 69* runs off 34 balls came from her bat, 11 boundaries and one massive six, she played at the strike rate of 202.94. Her brilliant strokeplay shattered Sri Lanka’s plans for defending the total and turned the chase into a classy inning.
At the other end, Jemimah Rodrigues provided the perfect support to Shafali with a short yet meaningful inning, 26 off 15, ensuring India never lost momentum after Mandhana’s departure. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s cameo of 10 runs off 12 helped in the chase, as India smoothly reached to 129 for three in just 11.5 overs, winning with 49 balls left. It was a perfect example of teamwork and efficiency. Sri Lanka’s bowlers struggled for consistency under pressure, unable to stop India’s disciplined batting attack.
The emphatic win leaves India one step away from sealing the series, placing all the tactical and psychological pressure on Sri Lanka ahead of the third T20I. The Harmanpreet side was filled with all positives as they emerged as the match winners. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka will look forward to making necessary changes in the next T20I and find new strategies to stay alive in the series.
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