India Women win by five wickets; lead series 2-0
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Vishmi Gunaratne, 16, shared a record opening stand with Chamari Athapaththu. Pic SLC
India Women registered their second-straight win by beating their Sri Lankan counterparts by five wickets in their second T20, thereby taking an unassailable lead in the three-match series, last evening at Dambulla.
In the low-scoring match, the tourists were in a minor spot of bother. However, their skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, finishing the match with a near-run-a-ball 31, saw them home.
Indian opener Smriti Mandhanna, the top scorer of their innings for 39, looking to go through the off-side, was beaten off Inoka Ranaweera, and giving wicket-keeper a comfortable stumping.
Hosts, batting first, were actually off to a great start courtesy to the opening pair including their captain Chamari Athapaththu. She now noted locally and globally for her form was the second-highest scorer scoring 43 with a six.
But the highest score of the match came off from her partner’s blade, Vishmi Gunaratne, hitting a 45, and narrowly-missing out on her first fifty of the series. In fact, both of them after getting elevated to a superb start, failed to convert into a big score.
A big score that would’ve propelled them to a decent start, but in stark contrast, they managed to muster only a paltry target.
Chief scores:
- SL W: 125 for seven (20) (Vishmi Gunaratne 45, Chamari Athapaththu 43, Deepti Sharma 2/34, Harmanpreet Kaur 1/12)
- Ind W: 127 for five (19.1) (Smriti Mandhana 39, Harmanpreet not out 31, Oshadi Ranasinghe 2/32, Inoka Ranaweera 2/18)