India put their Women’s U-19 T20 World Cup campaign back on track in Group 1 Super Six stage with a commanding seven-wicket win against Sri Lanka at Senwes Park on Sunday.
Following their seven-wicket defeat against Australia on Saturday, India’s bowlers came up with a superb performance, restricting the Sri Lankans to just 59/9 in the allotted 20 overs.
Sixteen-year-old leg-spinner Parshavi Chopra was the pick of the Indian bowlers, grabbing four wickets, while left-arm spinner Mannat Kashyap took two wickets as the duo ran through the opposition batting line-up.
India then reached the target in just 7.2 overs for the loss of skipper Shafali Verma, wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh and vice-captain Shweta Sehrawat.
Soumya Tiwari (28 not out) smashed five boundaries off just 15 deliveries as India cantered home to overhaul the paltry Sri Lankan total.
Earlier, after winning the toss, India elected to bowl first and met with immediate success when Bengal seamer Titas Sandhu got Nethmi Senarathna off the first ball of the game.
The spinners took charge quickly and in no time Sri Lanka were bamboozled by their spell, with only captain Vishmi Gunaratne (25) and Umaya Rathnayake (13) managing to get double-digit scores.
The accuracy of the bowlers can be gauged from the fact that only one run was given away through extras. Bowling a tight line, the Indian bowlers didn’t give any room to their opponents to play their strokes freely and only three boundaries came during the course of the Sri Lanka innings.
Opener and a member of the India senior team, Shafali, following her forgettable innings against Australia — where she scored eight runs — could have used the opportunity against Sri Lanka to return to form. But the 18-year-old managed just 15 before she was trapped in front by off-spinner Dewmi Vihanga, who took all three Indian wickets.
Brief scores: Sri Lanka Women U-19 59/9 in 20 overs (V. Gunaratne 25; P. Chopra 4/5, M. Kashyap 2/16). India Women U-19 60/3 in 7.2 overs (S. Tiwari n.o. 28; D. Vihanga 3/34). India Women U-19 won by 7 wickets.
