Harmanpreet praises bowlers as India beat Sri Lanka in the T20I to go 2-0 up

India Women registered a convincing seven-wicket victory over Sri Lanka Women in the second T20I of the five-match series at the ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam. Chasing the target of 129, India sealed the win with 49 balls to spare to take a 2–0 lead in the series.

Shafali Verma was the star player with an unbeaten 69 off 37 balls, guiding India home after their bowlers had restricted Sri Lanka to 128 for 9. Her innings ensured there were no late hiccups despite the early loss of Smriti Mandhana.

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Following the win, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur expressed her satisfaction with the team’s all-round performance, reserving special praise for debutant Vaishnavi Sharma and match-winner Shafali Verma.

“I am really happy with the way we bowled today. That was the reason we wanted to bowl first,” Harmanpreet said at the post-match presentation. “The bowlers took responsibility and put us in a really strong position early on. Later, Shafali and the other batters finished things off beautifully.”

Harmanpreet also highlighted the clarity within the bowling unit. “Everyone understands their role and is stepping up. We know what Sneh brings to the team, Deepti has been doing it for a while, but overall I’m very happy with how we bowled.”

Vaishnavi Sharma, who picked up two crucial wickets, earned special mention from the skipper.
“We were all waiting for Vaishnavi’s maiden wicket. Even though there were a few missed chances in the last game, today she bowled a very important over and picked up two wickets,” Harmanpreet added.

Reflecting on the team’s approach, Harmanpreet said standards had been clearly set.
“Before coming here, we discussed certain standards as a team, and everyone is committed to that. Whoever walks out to bat knows their role and is ready to take responsibility.”

Shafali Verma was named Player of the Match for her composed half-century. Speaking after the game, she emphasised patience and self-awareness.
“I tried to play along the ground and take singles. The coach also spoke to me about how to approach these conditions,” Shafali said. “Acceptance is everything, if you accept your weaknesses, only then can you become a better cricketer.”

Shafali’s knock followed her dramatic return to the India squad earlier this year, when she was drafted in for the ODI World Cup semifinals and final after Pratika Rawal’s injury. She went on to score a match-winning half-century and also claimed two wickets in the final against South Africa.

Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu admitted her side failed to capitalise after a promising start.

“We started well in the powerplay but lost momentum in the middle overs,” Athapaththu said. “India bowled to their plans and we kept hitting straight to the fielders.”

She added that Sri Lanka need to reassess their batting benchmarks against India.
“If we are batting first against India, we need at least 150 or more. We must rotate strike better and still find boundaries regularly.”

Athapaththu also pointed to the challenges posed by dew while bowling.
“It was difficult to grip the ball, especially for the spinners. But overall, as a team, we need to improve. On wickets like this, once India get going, it becomes very hard to bowl at them.”

In the chase, India briefly stumbled with the early dismissal of Mandhana, but Shafali (69* off 37 balls, 11 fours and a six) and Jemimah Rodrigues (26 off 15 balls, four fours and a six) ensured a comfortable finish, underlining India’s growing dominance in the series