Jemimah Rodrigues Stars in India's Dominant T20I Victory Over Sri Lanka
India Women Secure Convincing Win in First T20I
Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) [India], December 21: Jemimah Rodrigues showcased her talent with an impressive unbeaten half-century, leading the Harmanpreet Kaur-captained India Women to a resounding eight-wicket victory against Sri Lanka Women in the opening T20I of their five-match series at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
This victory gives the Women in Blue a 1-0 advantage in the ongoing T20I series against Sri Lanka.
Chasing a target of 122 runs, Jemimah scored a remarkable 69 runs off just 44 balls, hitting 10 boundaries, which enabled India Women to complete the chase in a mere 14.4 overs. With this performance, she matched Mithali Raj's record of four 50-plus scores against Sri Lanka in T20Is.
Earlier in the innings, Smriti Mandhana contributed 25 runs, becoming the second woman ever to surpass 4000 runs in T20Is, following New Zealand's Suzie Bates (4716 runs). Mandhana achieved this milestone in just 3227 balls, making her the fastest to do so, compared to Bates' 3675 balls.
During the chase, Mandhana and Jemimah formed a vital 54-run partnership for the second wicket, putting India in a strong position.
Jemimah also partnered with captain Harmanpreet Kaur for an unbroken 55-run stand for the third wicket, with Kaur contributing 15 runs, leading the Women in Blue to their first T20I win by eight wickets.
After opting to bowl first, India Women delivered a disciplined bowling display, limiting Sri Lanka to 121/6 in their 20 overs.
Three Sri Lankan players were run out during the innings. Kranti Gaud, Deepti Sharma, and Shree Charani each took a wicket, maintaining pressure on the visitors throughout their innings.
Sri Lanka's opener, Vishmi Gunaratne, was the top scorer for her team, managing 39 runs off 43 balls. Although she held one end, she struggled to accelerate and was dismissed in the 17.5th over.
The visitors faced an early blow when captain Chamari Athapaththu was the first to fall, scoring 15 runs before being bowled by Kranti Gaud with the score at 18. Sri Lanka managed only 31 runs in the power play, averaging under six runs per over.
Hasini Perera was the second wicket to fall, scoring 20 runs off 23 balls before being dismissed by Deepti Sharma in the 9.1 over. Sri Lanka reached their 50 in 9.3 overs but struggled to boost their run rate.
Harshitha Samarawickrama found it difficult to score, making 21 runs off 23 balls with two boundaries. The visitors only crossed the 100-run mark in the 17.4 over. Nilakshika Silva and Kavisha Dilhari were both run out.
Among the bowlers, Deepti Sharma was the most economical, finishing with figures of 1/20 in her four overs, including a maiden. Kranti Gaud took 1/23 from three overs, while Shree Charani conceded 30 runs and claimed one wicket in her four overs.
Brief scores: Sri Lanka Women 121/6 in 20 overs (Vishmi Gunaratne 39, Harshitha Samarawickrama 21; Deepti Sharma 1/20) vs India Women (Jemimah Rodrigues 69*, Smriti Mandhana 25; Inoka Ranaweera 1/17).