India draws first blood in WT20I series

Kavisha Dilhari top scored for Sri Lanka with an unbeaten 47

Player of the Match Jemimah Rodrigues who scored 36* for India

India won the first T20I against Sri Lanka at Dambulla yesterday by 34 runs to take 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Jemimah Rodrigues at number five made a crucial 36* to help India get to 138-6 before the spinners applied the brakes on the Sri Lankan batters who ended on 104-5.

On a slowish surface, Sri Lanka pressed their slow bowlers into action early on, stifling Smriti Mandhana. The left-hander then tried to break the shackles against off-spinner Oshadi Ranasinghe, only to miscue one straight to mid-on. On the next ball, Ranasinghe dismissed Sabbhineni Meghana for a first-ball duck to jolt the tourists early.

India was 106 for six after 17 overs with Deepti Sharma joining Rodrigues, who had managed to get a good measure of the surface. Along with Deepti, who played an impressive eight-ball cameo of 17 after walking in at No. 8, Rodrigues helped India add 32 off the last three overs, including taking 20 off the final over delivered by off-spinner Kavisha Dilhari.

The 139-run chase from Sri Lanka had a familiar look to it with Chamari Athapaththu scoring 15 of the 25 they scored in the powerplay. But Radha Yadav, playing her first T20I since the tour to England last year, dismissed Athapaththu and Harshitha Madavi in the same over to kill off the chase.

Dilhari finished unbeaten on 46 after walking in at No. 4 but couldn’t receive enough support from the other end. India used 12 overs of spin, including that of Shafali’s off-spin - where she had Ama Kanchana stumped for her maiden international wicket - to keep the home side in check and start off their tour with a win.

Scores

India Women 138-6 (20) (Shafali Verma 31, Harmanpreet Kaur 22, Jemimah Rodrigues 36*, Oshadi Ranasinghe 2/22, Inoka Ranaweera 3/30)

Sri Lanka Women 104-5 (20) (Kavisha Dilhari 47*, Radha Yadav 2/22)