Indian Women draw first blood in T20I series against Sri Lanka
Having handed the Sri Lankan team a whitewash in the 3-match Women's ODI series, the Indians have made the perfect start to the T20I series as well. In a largely one-sided encounter at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi, India's eves emerged victorious by 34 runs in the 1st T20I.
India rode on a brilliant all-round performance by Anuja Patil who scored an unbeaten 22 and returned figures of 3 for 14 with the ball. Electing to bat first after winning the toss, the India Women put 130 for 6 on the board, thanks primarily to Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur who scored 35 and 36 respectively.
Sugandika Kumari was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka as she ended with figures of 3 for 28. In response, the Sri Lanka Women lost momentum early as off-spinner Patil ran through their top order and reduced them to 18 for 3.
The only resistance for the visitors came in the form of Dilani Manodara, who scored an unbeaten 41 even as the rest of the batters struggled. Sri Lanka fell woefully short in the end as they could muster a score of 96 for 7 in their 20 overs.
With a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series owing to their convincing win, the India Women's team will be eyeing to seal the series in the 2nd T20I, which will take place on the same ground on Wednesday.