Published: Feb 07, 2017, 05:51 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 07, 2017, 06:12 PM (IST)
India Women registered an easy victory against Sri Lanka Women in the tournament opener of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier. Playing at the P Sara Oval, Colombo, India Women posted a target of 260. Sri Lanka disappointed with the bat, ending their innings at 145 for 8, handing India a 114-run win. While three of the Indian batters crossed the 50-run mark, none of their Sri Lankan counterparts, who were playing at home, could pull off such an innings and in turn failed to put up any competition against India despite the latter’s poor fielding show.
Winning the toss, India elected to bat. They lost their first wicket early, with Mona Meshram departing for 6. Deepti Sharma along with Devika Vaidya built up the first big partnership. The teenaged left-handed batswoman added 123 for the second wicket. Deepti departed for a patient 54 while Devika emerged as the star of the innings, scoring 89 runs, in what was her second ODI. Both the batters scored their maiden half-centuries in the process. Skipper Mithali Raj backed the effort up with her 62-ball 70 as India put up 259 for 4. Bowling for Sri Lanka, Udeshika Prabodhani was the most successful with 2 wickets while Sripali Weerakkody and Inoshi Priyadharshini chipped in with a wicket each. FULL CRICKET UPDATES: India Women vs Sri Lanka Women, ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers
Chasing the target, Sri Lanka were off to a relatively slow start. The top-order batters looked to form a big partnership but they failed. Sri Lanka kept losing wickets at regular intervals and Hasini was the highest run-getter for the side with her 34. Though Chamari Atapattu scored a good 30 opening the innings, she failed to make it big and the middle-order did not contribute. Ekta Bisht and Rajeshwari Gayakwad both emerged as the highest wicket-takers with 2 wickets while Deepti got a solitary wicket. Young debutant Soni Yadav, despite failing to bag any wickets, impressed with her bowling. Replacing Jhulan Goswami, the 22-year-old bowled tight lines at the start and created a few opportunities.
Brief scores:
India Women 259 for 4 in 50 overs (Deepti Sharma 54, Devika Vaidya 89, Mithali Raj 70*; Udeshika Prabodhani 2 for 56) win against Sri Lanka Women 145 for 8 in 50 overs (Chamari Atapattu 30, Eshani Lokusuriyage 26, Hasini Perera 34; Ekta Bisht 2 for 27, Rajeshwari Gayakwad 2 for 19).
