India batted their way to victory and avenged their Asia Cup loss over Sri Lanka when they registered an emphatic 82-run triumph at the Dubai International Stadium. The win was indeed the biggest margin in history in the Women’s T20 World Cup, and it sent India’s Net Run Rate above New Zealand’s, which will be vital if India has to qualify for the semifinals in Group A.

Batting Brilliance From Indian Stars

After two lackluster performances in the tournament, India’s top batters stepped up when it mattered most, and it was ailing captain Harmanpreet Kaur who finally delivered the goods, scoring an authoritative 52 not out off 27 balls in support of a solid 50 from deputy Smriti Mandhana off 38. Shafali Verma, opening with Mandhana, set the stage for success with a brisk 43, helping the pair fashion a strong opening wicket stand of 98 runs.

At 172/3, which is the highest total recorded in the tournament till now, it was just going to be too much for a struggling Sri Lanka team where batting inconsistency has been a nuisance.

Starts Steady And Ends In Dominance!

India chose to bat in a T20 match. The first over was not as smooth as the start, with Verma hitting the team’s first boundary in the third over. Mandhana broke free from the shackles in the last over of the Powerplay. Gaiety picked up after the slow start that had dictated early proceedings. Mandhana had smothered the powerplay, hitting India’s first six of the tournament and smoothing the way through her gears.

A notable record-equalling duo in the form of Mandhana and Verma was separated at the end of the 13th over when the partnership finally amassed 98. Mandhana was run out soon after she had only been able to reach her half-century just in time while Verma fell to a leading edge off Chamari Athapaththu’s delivery.

She went on to dominate with some good shots and also maintained a boundary spree in the last over to help her score a half-century in 27 balls—the fastest and the quickest by an Indian batter in the Women’s T20 World Cup history.

Tough Fielding And Bowling

India, not exactly renowned for their fielding, shone in this spot of the game as Radha Yadav pulled off a spectacular catch off the second ball of Sri Lanka’s innings. Renuka Thakur took an early knock as she dismissed Harshitha Madavi, while it was Shreyanka Patil with her spin who did that awful thing – getting rid of the captain Athapaththu.

Sitting at three wickets down within 14 balls, Sri Lanka was looking all broken. India was smart enough to keep them below 127 runs and have a net run rate on their side. Sobhana Asha and Arundhati Reddy took it very easy, bagging three wickets apiece for a mere 19 runs in between to make their batting line crumble further, thus securing a comprehensive win for India with a ball to spare.

Brief scores: India 172/3 in 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 52*, Smriti Mandhana 50, Shafali Verma 43; Chamari Athapaththu 1-29) beat Sri Lanka 90 in 19.5 overs (Asha Sobhana 3-19, Arundhati Reddy 3-19) by 82 runs.