SL-W vs IND-W | ODI Series Preview

With the T20I series done and dusted, the action now shifts from Dambulla to Pallekele. The Indian Women registered a 2-1 victory against the Chamari Athapaththu-led Sri Lankan side. Now, with the ODI series coming up, both the teams would like to gain some vital ICC Championship points.


It will be the first 50-over stint for Harmanpreet Kaur as skipper after taking over from Mithali Raj. The legendary batter’s retirement has left a void in the middle order, but the time is ripe enough to usher in a new era. Players like Sabbhineni Meghana and Yastika Bhatia are ready to fill in the big shoes.


India will be without Jemimah Rodrigues, who was not considered for the ODIs. Radha Yadav, a T20I specialist, will also be missing. 


The rest of the squad will remain unchanged, except for the inclusion of Harleen Deol and Taniya Bhatia. 


It will be interesting to see if Taniya gets a spot in the XI. She has been pushed down in the pecking order, with Yastika Bhatia donning the gloves and Richa Ghosh as the backup option.


The Indian openers had a mediocre showing in the T20I series, given their usual standards. Meghana was handed the one-down spot in place of Yastika Bhatia, but she failed to build on her start. So, Yastika may get her original position in the batting order back. 


Poonam Yadav, who did not get a look in the T20Is, should get a game. However, the leggie has not been in the best form, leaving the left-arm orthodox Rajeshwari Gayakwad as the first-choice spinner. 


On the other hand, Sri Lanka will be beaming with confidence after a solid show in the third T20I. Their spinners, especially Inoka Ranaweera,  troubled the Indian batters with willy bowling. 


Vishmi Gunaratne, the 16-year-old opener, displayed her inherent talent in the second T20I with a well-made 45. She is expected to make her ODI debut on 1st July. 


Sri Lankan fortunes will depend on their captain’s performance. And the Indians will be wary of her ability to take the game away from the opposition single-handedly.


Head-to-Head


In the last five matches played between the two sides, Indian Women have won four. Their latest face-off was way back in 2018 when a Chamari Athapaththu special trumped Mithali Raj’s century in a last-over thriller.


Schedule (ODI series)


Match 1: July o1, 2022, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, 10:00 AM


Match 2: July o4, 2022, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, 10:00 AM


Match 3: July o7, 2022, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, 10:00 AM


Squads


India: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia (wk), S Meghana, Deepti Sharma, Poonam Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Simran Bahadur, Richa Ghosh (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Harleen Deol.


Sri Lanka: Chamari Athapaththu (c), Hasini Perera, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshi de Silva, Anushka Sanjeevani, Oshadhi Ranasinghe, Sugandika Kumari, Inoka Ranaweera, Achini Kulasuriya, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Vishmi Gunaratne, Malsha Shehani, Ama Kanchana, Udeshika Prabodhani, Rashmi de Silva, Hansima Karunaratne, Kaushani Nuthyangana, Sathya Sandeepani, Tharika Sewwandi