In the Sri Lanka Women U19 tour of India 2026, where the second high-stakes T20 encounter at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai kicked off with India Women Under-19s winning the toss and electing to bat.
Batting first, the hosts posted a competitive 134/6, anchored by an impressive half-century from Tanishka Sharma, before their bowling unit successfully choked the chase. Despite a valiant fightback from Sri Lank Tanishka Sharma’s Fifty, Janhavi Virkar’s Triple Strike Seal India U19 Win Over Sri Lanka a’s Vimoksha Balasuriya, who struck a brilliant 61, India’s disciplined bowling attack squeezed the scoring rate to restrict the visitors to 123/8, sealing a hard-fought 11-run victory.
The innings was anchored by a brilliant, gritty half-century from Tanishka Sharma, who top-scored with a vital 58 off 56 balls including 8 boundaries before being stumped off Aseni Thalagune’s bowling. While her opening partner Deeksha Katragadda fell early for a two-ball duck to Danodya Sewmini, the middle order provided some essential urgency.
Ira Jadhav injected quick momentum with a brisk 26 off 21 balls, and Kumari Palak chipped in with a useful 21 off 18 deliveries. Kashvi Kandikuppa fought hard to finish unbeaten on 12 from 14 balls, guiding the team to a total of 134/6 in their 20 overs despite late breakthroughs that saw captain and wicketkeeper Bhavika Ahire caught for 6 and Purva run out for just 1.
It was a highly disciplined and collaborative bowling effort from the Sri Lankan side, with five different bowlers chipping into the wickets column to keep the batting lineup in check. Danodya Sewmini was the most economical of the lot, delivering a brilliant, tight spell of 1/15 in her 3 overs. Aseni Thalagune provided fantastic support across her full 4-over quota, strangling the batters to finish with impressive figures of 1/23.
Chamodhi Herath also bowled a crucial full shift of 4.0 overs, while claiming 1/24. Though Chamudi Praboda went wicketless, conceding 30 runs from her 4 overs, her teammates maintained constant pressure; Pramudi Methsara struck once to finish with 1/24 from 3 overs, and Limansa Thilakarathna wrapped up a solid team performance by picking up 1/18 in her brief 2-over spell.
The chase was spearheaded by a brilliant, commanding half-century from Vimoksha Balasuriya, who dismantled the opposition with a superb 61 off 52 balls, smashing 8 boundaries before falling to Maitri Maniar. She found great support in the middle order from Manudi Nanayakkara, who ground out a solid 24 off 25 balls before also becoming a victim of Maitri Maniar’s impactful bowling performance. Earlier in the innings, opener Sanjana Kavindi played a patient role, striking 2 boundaries in her 24-ball 14 before being caught off the bowling of Kashvi Kandikuppa.
As the innings progressed into the lower order, Janhavi Virkar completely turned the screws on the batting side, trapping Danodya Sewmini leg-before for 7, clean-bowling Limansa Thilakarathna for a duck, and later rattling the stumps of Chamodhi Herath for 4. Amidst Maitri Maniar striking once more to dismiss Pramudi Methsara for just 1, Nethagi Isuranjali held firm to remain unbeaten on 3, while Nethmi Upeksha’s brief cameo of 5 off 4 balls was cut short by a sharp run-out executed by Bhavika Ahire.
It was a phenomenal, match-defining performance from the Indian bowling unit, spearheaded by two standout three-wicket hauls that completely dismantled the opposition’s momentum. Janhavi Virkar was an absolute masterclass in control, delivering a highly economical spell to rip through the lineup with breathtaking figures of 3/14 from her 3 overs. Matching her wicket for wicket, Maitri Maniar proved equally lethal at the other end, extracting crucial breakthroughs to finish her full 4-over quota with a brilliant return of 3/26.
The rest of the attack built immense pressure to back up the strikes; Avani Chavda was incredibly tight across her 4 overs, drying up the runs beautifully to concede just 20, while Kashvi Kandikuppa delivered a solid, disciplined full shift of 4.0 overs to claim 1/24. Though Kumari Palak and Gouri Goyal went wicketless conceding 21 runs from 3 overs and 16 runs from 2 overs respectively their combined efforts ensured the pressure remained relentless from start to finish.
For the India Under-19 side, the match was won on the back of a brilliant anchor innings by Tanishka Sharma, who set up a competitive total, and a highly disciplined bowling performance led by three wicket hauls from Janhavi Virkar and Maitri Maniar to choke the chase. Conversely, what went wrong for the Sri Lanka Under-19 side was a devastating top-order collapse that left too much heavy lifting for Vimoksha Balasuriya, compounded by a lack of partnerships as India’s relentless bowling pressure consistently triggered timely wickets.
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