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Shafali Verma’s brutal hitting overwhelms Sri Lanka as India Women clinch 2nd T20I

Kaushik Kashyap

Shafali Verma scored 69* off 34. [Source - @bcciwomen/x]Shafali Verma scored 69* off 34. [Source - @bcciwomen/x]

On the back of a disciplined performance from the spin attack and an explosive batting display from Shafali Verma, India Women defeated Sri Lanka Women by seven wickets in the second T20I. The convincing win takes them 2-0 up in the five-match series, strengthening their early advantage.

Here, we take a look at the entire highlights of the 2nd T20I of the five-match series between India Women and Sri Lanka Women as it panned out at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday, December 23.

Young spin brigade shines as SL limited to 128/9

After asking Sri Lanka women to bat first, India struck early in the powerplay as Kranti Goud dismissed Vishmi Gunaratne in the very first over. Chamari Athapaththu counter-attacked with 31 off 24 balls before Sneh Rana ended her innings, giving India early momentum.

Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama resisted well, keeping the scoreboard ticking. However, an unfortunate run-out broke their promising partnership, preventing the visitors from building a formidable total and allowing India to regain control.

India’s left-arm spinners, Shree Charani and Vaishnavi Sharma, dominated in the second half of the innings, taking two wickets each. Kranti Goud and Sneh Rana also chipped in with a wicket apiece, restricting Sri Lanka to a below-par 128 for 9, keeping India in a strong position.

Shafali Verma blitz huides India home

Chasing 129, India Women had an explosive start, all thanks to Shafali Verma, who did an early damage, scoring 36 off 19 in the first six overs. Smriti Mandhana fell early despite a promising start, unable to capitalize on two big hits.

At No. 3, last match's hero Jemimah Rodrigues joined the party, adding 58 for the second wicket, playing second fiddle to Shafali, who continued her onslaught, reaching a rapid half-century in just 27 balls. 

India remained firmly in control, handing a demoralizing eight-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka with more than 12 overs to spare, as Shafali finished unbeaten on 69 off 34 balls, including 11 fours and a six, before the action moves to Thiruvananthapuram.