India thrashed Sri Lanka by 82 runs in match number 12 of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. It is the highest margin of victory for India in Women’s T20 World Cups as Sri Lanka were knocked out of the 2024 edition after the loss.
India now have two wins in three games ahead of their final group match with six-time champions Australia on Sunday.
Just the top two teams from each of the five-nation pools make the semi-finals.
ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024: India vs Sri Lanka – HIGHLIGHTS
Asian champions Sri Lanka collapsed to 6-3 inside three overs before Kavisha Dilhari (21) and Anushka Sanjeewani (20) put on 37 for the fourth wicket.
But they always struggled to keep up the run rate with Ama Kanchana (19) the only other player to reach double figures.
For India, fast bowler Arundhati Reddy and leg-spinner Asha Sobhana returned identical figures of 3-19 in their four overs.
Earlier, Half-centuries by captain Harmanpreet Kaur and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana ensured India posted 172/3, the highest total of this Women’s T20 World Cup in their crucial Group A clash.
After India had a splendid 98-run opening stand, where Smriti made a 38-ball fifty and Shafali Verma made 46, Sri Lanka fought back by dismissing the duo off successive deliveries. Harmanpreet applied perfect finishing touches by smoking pacers and spinners to hit a 27-ball fifty.
The Indian batters made good use of the crease, ran well between the wickets and found their groove to punish Sri Lanka, who would be ruing dropping simple catches of Harmanpreet and Jemimah Rodrigues.
Electing to bat first, Shafali got India going with three boundaries in as many overs – with a chipped drive over extra cover off Udeshika Prabodhani being the standout. Smriti started to come out of her struggles by hammering Sugandika Kumari for a four down the ground before Shafali ended India’s best Power-play at this World Cup with a pulled four taking the score to 41/0.
In the process, Shafali also became the youngest batter to score 2000 women’s T20I runs. Post Power-play, Smriti brought up India’s fifty by hitting the side’s first six of this World Cup – dancing down the pitch to dispatch Inoka Ranaweera over long-on.
Smriti then backed away to dish out an elegant inside-out loft over extra cover going for four off Udeshika and followed it up by lofting over mid-off for another boundary. Despite three boundary-less overs, India managed to keep the scoreboard ticking via singles and extras conceded by Sri Lankan bowlers.
Smriti got her fifty in 36 balls when she swept Chamari for four, before being run out just short of crease by Ama Kanchana. On the very next ball, Shafali miscued off Chamari and was caught at cover for 43. Jemimah struck the ball well in her brief knock of 16 before slicing to backward point off Ama.
Harmanpreet, back to batting at number three, gloriously timed her leg-side shots, including the slog-sweeps, and placed her off-side shots very well to take India past 150. She then cleared Ama effortlessly over cover for four, before hitting back-to-back boundaries down the ground to take India past 170-mark.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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