India Women crushed Sri Lanka Women by seven wickets in the second T20I at Visakhapatnam on Tuesday, chasing down a modest target of 129 with 49 balls to spare. Shafali Verma’s explosive unbeaten 69 off 34 balls and disciplined bowling from the spin trio powered the hosts to a commanding 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

Spinners strangle Sri Lanka to 128/9

After winning the toss, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur elected to field first at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium. Kranti Gaud dismissed Vishmi Gunaratne in the very first over, reducing Sri Lanka to an early setback. Chamari Athapaththu tried to counter-attack with a brisk 31 off 24 balls before Sneh Rana, playing in place of the unwell Deepti Sharma, removed the dangerous Sri Lankan skipper with a perfectly flighted delivery.

The Indian spinners dominated proceedings throughout, exploiting the slow pitch expertly. Left-arm spinners Shree Charani and Vaishnavi Sharma were particularly impressive, claiming two wickets each with figures of 2/23 and 2/32, respectively. Hasini Perera (22) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (33) offered resistance with a 44-run partnership for the third wicket, but Charani broke through by dismissing Perera caught and bowled in the 13th over. India’s spin trio sent down 12 overs combined for 5/66, maintaining tight control over the scoring rate. Sri Lanka managed only 11 fours and two sixes in their entire innings, finishing at a below-par 128/9.

Shafali’s brilliant innings powers India home

Chasing 129, India lost Smriti Mandhana early for 14 off 11 balls, but that merely set the stage for Shafali Verma’s brutal onslaught. The opener smashed 36 runs off just 19 balls in the powerplay, with India racing to 68/1 after six overs. Jemimah Rodrigues joined the party at number three, forging a blistering 58-run partnership off 28 balls with Shafali. Rodrigues contributed a quickfire 26 off 15 balls with four boundaries and a six before falling while attempting to clear long-on.

Shafali reached her 12th T20I fifty off just 27 balls, displaying clinical strokeplay with precise placement and powerful hitting. The pair of 113 runs in the first 10 overs marked India’s highest tally after 10 overs in Women’s T20Is, surpassing the previous record of 111 against Malaysia at the 2023 Asian Games. Shafali remained unbeaten on 69 off 34 balls, lashing 11 fours and a six as India cruised to 129/3 in just 11.5 overs.

Upcoming game

The third T20I will be played in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, December 27, as India look to extend their winning streak.