ICC Women's T20 World Cup: India Women beat Sri Lanka women by 82 runs, eye semi-final spot

India avenged their Asia Cup final defeat at the best presented occasion as they beat Sri Lanka women by 82 runs at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. Looking way better than their last two appearances in the campaign, India delivered an all-round performance to claim a commanding victory over Sri Lanka Women The dominant win, India’s biggest win margin in the Women’s T20 World Cup has significantly boosted the team’s net run rate. With this victory, India now sits at the second position in Group A points table, tailing defending champions Australia. For Sri Lanka women, the match marked the end of the road for them in the marquee event.

India Women stun Sri Lanka with an 82-run victory as WT20 WC semi-final hopes materialize

India women won the toss and opted to bat first in the must-win clash against Sri Lanka women. India’s batting, which had been shaky in the previous matches against New Zealand Women and Pakistan in the tournament, came to life in this match. Shafali Verma set the tone as she exploited the powerplay, scoring 43 runs. Smriti Mandhana, finally regained her form as the vice-captain scored a half-century. The opening duo knitted a crucial partnership of 98 runs, with Mandhana knocking 52 off 37 balls. Moreover, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur carried the momentum seamlessly as she led the charge with an unbeaten 52 off 27 balls boosted by fine batting performances up the order, India set a formidable chase of 173, which eventually proved insurmountable for Sri Lanka women. 

After Shafali Verma broke the boundary drought in the third over, Mandhana began to accelerate towards the end of the powerplay, helping India reach 41/0 after six overs. Mandhana’s knock was filled with crisp shots, including India’s first six of the tournament. Her 36-ball half-century laid the platform for India’s big score. Though Mandhana and Verma fell in quick succession in the 13th over, Harmanpreet took control of the innings. The skipper eventually completed her half-century in just 27 balls, making it the fastest by an Indian batter in Women’s T20 World Cup history.

India’s bowling was just as effective as their batting. Radha Yadav, playing as a substitute fielder, took a screamer as Renuka Thakur struck in the second ball of the chase. With  a wicket without a run at the scoreboard, Sri Lanka’s leftover morale also tumbled. Followingly, Thakur, along with Shreyanka Patil and Asha Sobhana, ripped through Sri Lanka’s top order, leaving them reeling at 3 wickets down within the first few overs. India’s bowlers restricted Sri Lanka to under 100 runs, with Sobhana and Arundhati Reddy each taking three wickets to seal the emphatic win.

The emphatic 82-run win claimed by India women has made their semi-final qualification chances visible. The victory gave a significant push to their net run rate, moving it above that of New Zealand. This sets up a crucial contest between the two teams in their final Group A game, which could decide a semifinal spot in the Women's T20 World Cup. India Women will face Australia women on Sunday in their last remaining group stage clash.