SL-W vs IND-W | Series Preview

With Harmanpreet Kaur taking over the reins from the legendary Mithali Raj in ODIs, a new era has ushered in Indian cricket. The Indian team is on its first tour without their senior most batter. Sri Lanka is set to host India for three T20Is and an equal number of ODIs.

The T20I matches begin on 23 June 2022 in Dambulla. 

With the Commonwealth Games in sight, the Indian team will look to finalise the squad for the tournament. On the batting front, the Indian top-order is shaping quite well, with the addition of players that can take the attack to the opposition.

With the presence of the elegant southpaw Smriti Mandhana and the aggressive Shafali Verma, Sabbhineni Meghana may not get an opportunity as an opener. But she has impressed in whatever limited opportunities she has received. The management will have to find a way to include her in the XI.

Baroda’s Yastika Bhatia has played some effective knocks in her short career at three and is destined for a long run. In the Senior Women’s Trophy and Women’s T20 Challenge, she donned the gloves too. So, will she be a first-choice wicket-keeper in place of Richa Ghosh? It is one question that the series will answer.

Jemimah Rodrigues has also made her way back into the T20I side after consistent performances in the domestic circuit. She will be itching to cement her place in the XI and make a comeback to the ODI setup. 

The skipper has spoken about trying new players and offering them enough opportunities, especially the young pace unit. Pooja Vastrakar has emerged as the leader of the pack to go with her power-hitting prowess. Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh Thakur, and Simran Bahadur will look to deliver consistent performances.

Besides regular spinners, this series may also see Shafali Verma’s introduction as a part-time off-spinner. Verma has bowled for Haryana and will serve as additional off-break options to Deepti Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, has made quite a few changes to the squad that toured Pakistan and suffered a whitewash in the T20I series. Skipper Chamari Athapaththu will hope for a better showing from her team, which is a good mix of young and experienced players. The Sri Lankan squad is replete with quality all-rounders in the captain herself, Nilakshi de Silva, Ama Kanchana, and Kavisha Dilhari, among others.

Athapaththu had scores of 6,5, and 37 in the three T20I matches against Pakistan Women. Sri Lankan hopes in the series will depend a lot on their skipper’s form and her power-hitting abilities.

Head-to-Head

In the last five matches played between the two sides, India has won four while one did not produce any result.

Schedule (T20I series)

Match 1:  23 June 2022, Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla, 2:30 PM IST

Match 2: 25 June, Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla, 2:30 PM IST

Match 3: 27 June, Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla, 2:30 PM IST

Where to watch

Sony Sports Network is set to broadcast the T20I series, while online streaming is likely to be available on the Sony Liv application.

Squads

India: Deepti Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (VC), S Meghna, Poonam Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Simran Dil Bahadur, Richa Ghosh (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh Thakur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Radha Yadav, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Shafali Verma

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