1st T20I: Jemimah Rodrigues shines as Indian women defeat Sri Lanka to go 1-0 up in five-match series

Jemimah Rodrigues played a brilliant innings to help India register a comfortable win over Sri Lanka in the first Women’s T20 International on Sunday. She remained unbeaten on 69 runs from 44 balls, showcasing great control and confidence throughout her knock. Her performance helped India win the match by eight wickets and take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. India chose to field first and did well to restrict Sri Lanka to 121 runs for six wickets. The Sri Lankan batters found it difficult to score freely, even when they were given loose balls. Dew arrived earlier than expected, but the Indian bowlers adjusted well and kept things under control. During the chase, India made light work of the target and finished the match with 32 balls still remaining. Jemimah Rodrigues played the anchor role and built important partnerships. She added 54 runs with Smriti Mandhana, who scored 25 runs off 25 balls, and later shared a 55-run stand with captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who stayed not out on 15 off 16 balls. Rodrigues played several classy shots, but the standout moment of her innings came when she smashed four boundaries in a single over bowled by left-arm wrist spinner Shashini Gimhani. That over tilted the game firmly in India’s favour.

India’s innings began aggressively, with Shafali Verma hitting three boundaries in the very first over. However, she could not stay long at the crease and was dismissed soon after. Mandhana had a few lucky moments early on but settled well before becoming the latest batter to cross 4,000 T20I runs. Her innings was cut short by Inoka Ranaweera, but by then India was well in control. Earlier, Sri Lanka’s innings was held together by opener Vishmi Gunaratne, who top-scored with 39 runs off 43 balls. Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama also contributed with small but useful scores. India’s bowlers remained disciplined despite the wet ball. Deepti Sharma bowled economically, while debutant Vaishnavi Sharma impressed on her international debut with a tight four-over spell, conceding just 16 runs.