India continued their dominant run over Sri Lanka in women’s T20Is, securing a comprehensive seven-wicket win in the second match at Visakhapatnam to take a 2-0 series lead. The victory was built on disciplined spin bowling and a spectacular batting display from Shafali Verma, who remained unbeaten on 69 to chase down 129 with 49 balls to spare.
Sri Lanka, restricted to 128 for 9, struggled against India’s spin battery. With Deepti Sharma out due to illness, Sneh Rana assumed control, while left-armers Vaishnavi Sharma and N Shree Charani contributed two wickets each. Despite an early flourish from Chamari Athapaththu, who scored 31 off 24 balls, Sri Lanka’s middle order collapsed under pressure, managing just two boundaries after the ninth over as six wickets fell for 24 runs.
The chase was one-way traffic once Shafali took charge. After Smriti Mandhana’s early dismissal, Shafali unleashed aggressive footwork and clean striking against the Sri Lankan spinners, reaching a half-century in just 27 balls. Jemimah Rodrigues supported briefly with 26 runs but fell in search of quick runs, leaving Shafali to guide India home with authority.
India’s spinners had strangled the opposition, inducing errors and run-outs while maintaining tight control, demonstrating the depth and tactical maturity of the team. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka were unable to convert promising starts into a competitive total, leaving the side with pressing questions ahead of the series decider in Thiruvananthapuram.
With the series effectively sealed, India head south confidently, while Sri Lanka must regroup to prevent a series sweep.
