IND W vs SL W 2025, 1st T20I: Jemimah Rodrigues, bowlers lift India 1-0 up

India beat Sri Lanka in the series-opening T20I at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Sunday, December 21, to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

Harmanpreet Kaur called correctly at the toss and chose to bowl. Sri Lanka got off to a lackadaisical start, scoring run-a-ball in the first three overs before Kranti Gaud sent back Chamari Athapaththu. Hasini Perera and Vishmi Gunaratne tried to stabilise the innings, however, the duo could not accelerate as Sri Lanka continued to search for momentum.

Deepti Sharma broke the 31-run second-wicket partnership, dismissing Perera for a 23-ball 20, before Gunaratne and Harshita Samarawickrama stitched a run-a-ball 38-run stand for the third wicket. Left-arm spinner Shree Charani got the better of Harshita as Sri Lanka continued losing wickets at regular intervals.

Gunaratne's laboured outing came to an end on a dismal note as she was caught short of her crease, getting run out for 39 off 43, while there were two more run outs towards the fag end of the innings, with India restricting Sri Lanka for a below-par 121/6 in 20 overs.

Deepti was the standout bowler, taking one wicket in a frugal four-over spell as she conceded only 20 runs, while debutant Vaishnavi Sharma, who went wicketless, was at her miserly best, giving away only 16 runs in four overs.

Chasing the modest target, Shafali Verma gave India a typically aggressive start before perishing against Kawya Kavindi. However, Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues motored along in their 41-ball 54-run partnership. After Mandhana was dismissed for a run-a-ball 25, Harmanpreet ensured that India romped home without further hiccups.

Jemimah stood unbeaten on 69 off 44, hitting 10 boundaries. Harmanpreet, meanwhile, went back unbeaten on 15 off 16 balls as India reached the target in 14.4 overs with eight wickets in hand.