Superb spells by spinners N. Shree Charani (2-23) and Vaishnavi Sharma (2-32) helped India restrict Sri Lanka Women to 128/9 in 20 overs at the Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium.
Having opted to bowl first, the hosts struck early and maintained pressure throughout the innings, picking up wickets at regular intervals. Sri Lanka had managed 121 in the first T20I, showing only a marginal improvement with a total of 128 this time.
Match Highlights
- Sri Lanka faced an early setback as Kranti Gaud removed Vishmi Gunaratne for 1 in the very first over, caught on the follow-through.
- Arundathi Reddy bowled a few loose deliveries, leaking runs, but the pressure continued to build on the visitors, who struggled against a disciplined Indian bowling attack.
- The visitors added 39 runs in the first six overs but found themselves in a tough spot once again, with skipper Chamari Athapaththu contributing most of the runs. Athapaththu hit two sixes in her innings of 31 off 24 balls before being dismissed by Sneh Rana, the only change in either side for the second T20I after Deepti Sharma missed out due to fever. India had won the toss and elected to bowl again.
Harshitha Samarawickrama came in at No. 3 and, along with Perera, steadied the innings. The duo rotated the strike well, helping Sri Lanka reach 66 for 2 at the halfway mark. However, with the field spread out, Perera struggled to find boundaries and was eventually dismissed for 22 off 28 balls by Shree Charani in the 13th over, ending a 44-run partnership. Harshitha looked strong and scored 33 before getting run out in the 17th over.
Sri Lanka was unable to build momentum in the final stages. Nilakshi de Silva had a brief stay, scoring 2 before being dismissed by Vaishnavi Sharma, who took her first T20I wicket. A late flurry of wickets resulted in the visitors finishing their innings at 128 for 9. For India, Shree Charani (2/23) and Vaishnavi Sharma (2/32) each took two wickets, while Kranti Gaud (1/21) and Sneh Rana (1/11) claimed one wicket apiece.
Brief Scores:
Sri Lanka-W: 128/9 in 20 overs
(Harshitha Samarawickrama 33, Chamari Athapaththu 32; Shree Charani 2-23, Vaishnavi Sharma 2-32) against India