New Delhi, Sep 19 (UNI) Continuing their brilliant performance in Sri Lanka after winning ODI series by 2-1, Indian women cricket team defeated Sri Lanka by 11 runs in the first T20I of the five-match series at the FTZ Sports Complex in Katunayake in Sri Lanka on Wednesday.
Chasing a total of 167 runs, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 155 in 19.3 overs. Eshani Lokusuriyage (31-ball 45) fought hard but got no support from the middle-order.
Yasoda Mendis and skipper Chamari Athapaththu gave Sri Lanka a flying start. Mendis struck 32 off 12 balls to put India in pressure. She hit four boundaries and two sixes. Debutant, Arundhati Reddy, gave India its first breakthrough.
Then Poonam Yadav, a leg-break bowler, came to bowl and kept things tight for Sri Lanka. She took four wickets for 26 runs. Except Athapaththu (27), Sri lankan batter were not able to play Indian bowling and kept loosing their wickets at regular intervals.
Earlier, India started badly as their opener Simriti Mandhana got out on a duck. But her partner, Jemimah Rodrigues, the right-hander, smashed three fours and as maximum sixes in her 15-ball 36 before falling to Chamari Athapaththu (2 for 23). But after this India lost a plot and reduced to 75 for 4 after six overs.
The pair of Anuja Patil and Tania Bhatia stitched together a partnership of 67 runs for the fifth wicket to help India to score 166 runs.
Second T20I will be played at the Colts Cricket Club Ground in Colombo on Friday.
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