NEW DELHI: India continued their dominant run in the women’s T20I series against Sri Lanka with another authoritative win on Tuesday. Chasing a small target, India cruised to a seven-wicket victory in the second match, taking a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. The star of the night was Shafali Verma, who played a fearless and fluent knock to finish the game quickly. Sri Lanka were first asked to bat and struggled against India’s disciplined bowling attack. The visitors could only manage 128 for 9 in their 20 overs.
India’s spin unit did most of the damage, led by experienced off-spinner Sneh Rana and well supported by young spinners Vaishnavi Sharma and Shree Charani. They bowled with control and patience, not allowing Sri Lanka to build any real momentum.While chasing, India lost vice-captain Smriti Mandhana early for 14. However, Shafali Verma looked in complete control from the moment she arrived at the crease. Full of confidence after her strong showing in the World Cup final, she attacked the bowlers and took the game away from Sri Lanka. Shafali remained unbeaten on 69 from just 34 balls, hitting 11 boundaries and one six, as India wrapped up the chase in only 11.5 overs.Left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera bore the brunt of Shafali’s attack. Whenever the ball was tossed up, Shafali stepped out and struck cleanly over extra cover. Her footwork against spin was impressive, whether coming down the track or playing from the back foot. Seeing her confidence, newly appointed Delhi Capitals captain Jemimah Rodrigues joined the assault. Rodrigues scored a quick 26 off 15 balls, and together they added 58 runs in just 4.3 overs. By the time Rodrigues got out, the result was already decided.Earlier, Sneh Rana made full use of her opportunity after Deepti Sharma missed out due to fever. She returned excellent figures of 1 for 11 in four overs, including a rare maiden in T20 cricket. Shree Charani picked up 2 for 23, while Vaishnavi Sharma finished with 2 for 32. India’s fielding also stood out, with sharp efforts resulting in three run-outs after a below-par show in the previous match.Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu showed some fight with a quick 31 but was kept quiet by Rana’s smart bowling. Once she fell, Sri Lanka lost wickets quickly and never recovered.
