India Women Dominate Sri Lanka in T20I Series Opener

Out!Inoka Ranaweera strikes and scalps the big wicket of Smriti Mandhana. Gives the ball some air, Smriti dances down to take it on over the covers, but the fielder was accurately positioned there to gulp down the catch. Top planning and execution from Sri Lanka although they are fighting a losing battle here.Smriti c Nilakshi de Silva b Inoka Ranaweera 25(25). Despite losing Shafali Verma early, scoring rate has not been a problem for India. The conditions have been good for batting with dew coming in and India have imposed themselves with Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues out on the crease. They have given India solid start. Out!Sri Lanka get the wicket they wanted. Good start for them. Kawya Kavindi bowls full on middle, Shafali Verma gets forward to flick and the ball ends up going to the backward square leg fielder who takes a good catch in the end. Soft dismissal but Sri Lanka will grab it by both hands.Shafali Verma c Shashini Gimhani b Kawya Kavindi 9(5). Out!Veteran Deepti Sharma shined with the ball in hand once again, as she kept things tight in the death overs and barely gave anything for visitors to open their arms. The tight death bowling from India resulted in three run-outs. Nilakshi de Silva, Vishmi Gunaratne and Kavisha Dilhari, all were dismissed by run-out, trying to steal and extra run. India will be happy and will back themselves to chase down the target.Vishmi Gunaratne run out (Kranti Gaud/Richa Ghosh) 39(43), Nilakshi de Silva run out (Amanjot Kaur/Richa Ghosh) 8(8) and Kavisha Dilhari run out (Shree Charani/Richa Ghosh) 6(5). Out!Harshitha Samarawickrama departs after a laborious knock. Had to go for the big shots and she tried to get a reverse sweep. The ball from Sree Charani drifts in and straightens to beat a lunging Harshitha and crashes into the stumps. India are controlling proceedings here.Harshitha Madavi b Shree Charani 21(23). Harshitha Samarawickrama and Vishmi Gunaratne have been out on the crease and although they have not lost their wickets, they have not been able to score at a healthy rate. India has failed to grab a few chances as well which has worked in advantage to the visitors as well. Sri Lanka will have to press the accelerator soon. Out!Hasini Perera departs and India doesn't let the catch drop in the last over hunt them for long. Perera was getting desperate to break free and went for an wild reverse sweep. Deepti Sharma's ball got a top edge and gently lobbed to the third man fielder. India strike once again.Hasini Perera c Kranti Gaud b Deepti Sharma 20(23). Good start from debutant Vaishnavi Sharma. She came to bowl the seventh over of the innings and kept things on length and also didn't provide room to the batters. They had to block or maneuver her without trying for big shots as they seemed risky. Out!Big breakthrough for India and it is Kranti Goud who delivers. She was trying short balls to push Chamari Athapaththu behind, but the latter was dealing with it well. This time it was a scrambled seam delivery from wide of the crease, which pitched and jagged back. Chamari was already opened for a shot and got cleaned up.Chamari Athapaththu b Kranti Gaud 15(12). Sri Lanka Women (Playing XI):Vishmi Gunaratne, Chamari Athapaththu(c), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Nilakshi de Silva, Kaushani Nuthyangana(w), Kavisha Dilhari, Malki Madara, Inoka Ranaweera, Kawya Kavindi, Shashini Gimhani. India National Cricket Team vs South Africa National Cricket Team Live Score Updates Online:India Women will be returning in action as they will take on Sri Lanka Women in a five-match T20I series starting from December 21, Sunday. The first of the five T20Is will be played at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam and has a scheduled start time of 7:00 PM Indian Standard Time (IST). India are coming out of a historic victory in the ICC Women's ODI World Cup 2025. You can check theIndia Women's National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka Women's National Cricket Team match scorecard here.They are looking to hold on to the success formula as they start preparations for the upcoming ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026. They Sri Lanka series is a good opportunity for them to assess their positions, specially with Women's Premier League (WPL) only being a short distance away.Smriti Mandhana Body Shamed For Wearing 'Elegant' White Floor-Length Gown; Fans Issue 'Befitting Reply'. Sri Lanka Women, meanwhile, are coming out of a long gap where they have played no T20Is. Their last T20I series was against New Zealand where they won one game and tied one. They will look to eye better preparations this time after an underwhelming performance at home in the ODI World Cup. They have included some new faces in the squad including ambidextrous spinner Shashini Gimhani. Although their eyes will be on the youngsters Vishmi Gunaratne, Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama and Kavisha Dilhari. For Sri Lanka to do well in the future, they will have to deliver collectively. India meanwhile, are entering the series with a settled squad. The likes of Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues have already scored runs and they will be hungry for more before taking up more difficult roles in the WPL. Two youngsters, Vaishnavi Sharma and G Kamalini has been included in the squad as well as the Team India management look to get more variety in the squad. A settled combo, well ahead of the T20 World Cup can give the Women in Blue an early headstart. India Women Squad:Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh(w), Sneh Rana, Amanjot Kaur, Kranti Gaud, Renuka Singh Thakur, Shree Charani, Arundhati Reddy, Vaishnavi Sharma, G Kamalini.T20 World Cup-Winning Indian Blind Women's Cricket Team Visits BCCI Headquarters. Sri Lanka Women Squad:Vishmi Gunaratne, Chamari Athapaththu(c), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshi de Silva, Kaushani Nuthyangana(w), Rashmika Sewwandi, Imesha Dulani, Kawya Kavindi, Nimesha Madushani, Malki Madara, Inoka Ranaweera, Malsha Shehani, Shashini Gimhani