[Watch] Smriti Mandhana takes a brilliant running catch as India beat Sri Lanka by 82 runs in Women's T20 World Cup 2024
India registered a resounding 82-run victory against Sri Lanka on Wednesday (October 9) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai. As a result, they moved up to the second spot in the Group A points table, having won two of their three games so far.
India batted first in the contest after winning the toss and notched up a decent total of 172/3 on a sluggish surface. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur (50) and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (52*) stepped up for their team in the crucial match by hitting aggressive half-centuries. Opener Shafali Verma also chipped in with a sedate knock of 43 (40).
Sri Lanka never got going in the chase after collapsing to 6/3 in 2.2 overs. Arundhati Reddy (3/19) and Asha Sobhana (3/19) continued to chip in with wickets for India in the middle overs to bundle out the opposition team for 90. Off-spinner Deepti Sharma wrapped up the match on the penultimate ball, with Smriti Mandhana taking a running catch at mid-off after a fumble.
You can watch the winning moment in the video below:
"Today all the boxes were ticked"- India captain Harmanpreet Kaur after comprehensive win vs Sri Lanka in ICC Womens T20 World Cup 2024
Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur expressed satisfaction with her team's performance, with a special mention of the improved fielding effort. Reflecting on the win, Harmanpreet said:
"Today all the boxes were ticked. Specially our fielding, we held on to all the catches. We have spoken a lot about our fielding. We did discuss about how much we need to set if we bat first, or how much we would like to chase. But these pitches are really tricky."
She continued:
"We thought of 160, but happy to get 170. We are that stage that we have to think about winning and also the net run-rate, we have to play good cricket (in the next match vs Australia). Very happy for our bowlers, they are really doing well and giving us wickets. Whenever the team does well, I feel happy. This is a day to enjoy our success."
The Women in Blue will next face Australia on October 13 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah.