India made a winning return to international cricket 50 days after their ODI World Cup triumph, defeating Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the first T20I at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. Chasing a modest target of 122, the hosts reached the finish line with 32 balls to spare, thanks to a sublime 69 off 44 balls from Jemimah Rodrigues.
While opener Shafali Verma fell early, Rodrigues combined first with Smriti Mandhana, 25, and then with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, 15, to guide the team home comfortably.
Jemimah’s knock was a masterclass in placement and timing, featuring 10 boundaries; nine of which were struck on the offside. She particularly targeted Sri Lanka’s 17-year-old mystery spinner Shashini Gimhani, hitting her for four boundaries in a single over. "My mindset is simple. I feel I bat the best when I’m just blank and react to the ball, and that’s what I was doing,"
Rodrigues said after the match. Her performance solidified her claim to the No. 3 spot, a position she has occupied in nearly 70% of her T20I innings. Meanwhile, Smriti Mandhana reached a personal milestone during her knock, becoming the second Indian woman to cross 4,000 T20I runs.
Earlier in the evening, India’s bowlers justified Harmanpreet’s decision to field first by restricting Sri Lanka to 121 for 6. Seamer Kranti Gaud provided the breakthrough by bowling Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu with a delivery that nipped back, claiming her maiden T20I wicket. Debutant left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma impressed with an economical spell of 0/16 in four overs, though she was denied a wicket due to a dropped catch.
Sri Lanka’s innings never gathered momentum, with Vishmi Gunaratne top-scoring with a labored 39 off 43 balls as the visitors struggled to cope with India’s disciplined attack.
Despite the win, fielding remained a concern for India, with four catches put down during the innings. Left-arm spinner N Shree Charani was involved in multiple reprieve incidents, dropping two catches herself. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur did not mince words regarding the lapses. "With bat and ball, yes. With fielding we are really working hard but I don’t know why we are dropping catches," she stated. "It’s wet, no doubt about it, but there's no excuse, in crucial matches these can cost us."
The series opener offered plenty for the 7,000 fans in attendance, but also highlighted areas for improvement for the world champions. With a short turnaround before the second T20I at the same venue on Tuesday, India will look to tighten their fielding while maintaining their streak with bat and ball. For Sri Lanka, the challenge remains finding a way to post competitive totals and reduce their over-reliance on Athapaththu against a high-flying Indian unit.
