IND vs SL match: India produced a fine batting display as they had a total of 172 runs in the very end—seven runs more than their score in the Asia Cup final this year. The innings started slowish, and Smriti Mandhana did not get into her time, finding it difficult during the powerplay. Shafali Verma countered it well some decent boundaries helped India cross 41 runs without losing a wicket at the end of the powerplay.
Attacking fifties from Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur boost India to a massive score 👊#WhateverItTakes #T20WorldCup
— ICC (@ICC) October 9, 2024
📝 #INDvSL ⬇️https://t.co/IlmX9PYwMQ
Once Smriti found her rhythm, some classy inside-out shots came following it, and she went on to make a half-century. For India, though, tragedy struck as both the openers departed in the space of two deliveries with Sri Lanka’s skipper Chamari Athapaththu being the culprit, putting Sri Lanka in a good position to make capital.
But soon, Jemimah Rodrigues doused the momentum with a quickfire cameo of 16 runs, replete with some splendid sweep shots. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur started cautiously but accelerated well at the fag-end and bashed the pacers to knock a blazing fifty off just 27 balls.
With this thumping total, India also looked for the betterment of their net run rate as the conditions were not at all easy for batting. At the end of their innings, they left Sri Lanka a tough chase.
“We were fired up today. Shafali played exceptionally well in the powerplay, giving us a solid start. Harman’s batting towards the end was brilliant to watch. The conditions weren’t as expected for the World Cup; we spent the last couple of days figuring out which shots to play. As a team, we emphasized running hard, and we executed that well today. Harman made batting look effortless; her timing was remarkable. It’s not an easy wicket to bat on, but once you settle in, you start seeing the ball better and can identify the right areas to target.” said Smriti Mandhana.
