India Women Opt to Bowl First in T20I Series Opener Against Sri Lanka Women

Match Overview

In the inaugural T20I of the five-match series, the Indian women's cricket team, captained by Harmanpreet Kaur, won the toss and chose to field first against Sri Lanka Women at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Head-to-Head Record

Historically, India Women and Sri Lanka Women have clashed 26 times in T20I matches. The Indian team has emerged victorious in 20 of those encounters, while Sri Lanka has won five times. One match resulted in no outcome.

Captains' Insights

During the toss, Harmanpreet Kaur explained their decision to bowl first, citing the potential for dew. She also announced that Vaishnavi Sharma would be making her T20I debut. "There will be dew, so that is a reason we want to bowl. We have one debutant, Vaishnavi, who is playing. All the old players are there. It is a new series for us, a new format. We always talk about playing fearless cricket, and that is what we want to do," she stated.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka's captain Chamari Athapaththu expressed confidence in her team's preparation for the series. "We had a good preparation. We have struggled with the weather in the last two days, but all good. We have six or seven youngsters playing, so I hope they make the opportunity count. We have a good team, and we are sticking with the plans," she remarked.

Team Lineups

India Women: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Deepti Sharma, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Vaishnavi Sharma, N Shree Charani.

Sri Lanka Women: Chamari Athapaththu (captain), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Vishmi Gunaratne, Nilakshika Silva, Kaushini Nuthyangana (wicketkeeper), Kavisha Dilhari, Malki Madara, Inoka Ranaweera, Kawya Kavindi, Shashini Gimhani.