by Mahendra Rathnaweera for SriLankasports.com
Colombo. India coasted to an emphatic nine wicket win over hosts Sri Lanka in the rain hit opening game of the trination ODI tournament played at the Premadasa Stadium.
Pratik Rawal 50 no and Harleen Deol 48 no added 95 to take India home with 56 balls to spare under bright evening sunshine.
Sri Lankan bowling held no terrors so much so the Indian batters seemed challenged at any stage of the chase.
Having put Sri Lanka into bat the Indian women set about venturing into a clinical performance to down the rather abysmal hosts in all aspects of the game.
Chasing the modest 148 to win off 39 overs the opening pair of Smrti Mandana and Pratik Rawal coasted to 50 in the ninth over by and large served by mediocre bowling by the Sri Lankan bowlers who by the eleventh over of the innings had five of them trying to stop the Indian flow of runs.
The accomplished Mandana was threatening more when the Sri Lankan veteran Ranaweera snapped a catch off her own bowling to dismiss the southpaw for a well made 43 off 46 balls and six well struck boundaries.
The stark contrast of the first 10 overs of the two innings was glaring – the Sri Lankans could muster only 37.
Chamari Atapattu’s extent of struggle was evident where she grafted 18 balls for 7. Her only hit to the fence – a streaky one at that – came as late as the sixth over of the innings.
Sri Lanka’s highest partnership was the 32 added between the wicket keeper Anushka Sanjeewani and Achini Kulasuriya for the eighth wicket.
The top order was kept on a very tight leash by the three spinners Sharma, Rana and the debutant Charani.
Piyumi Wathsala and Malki Madara made debut as Sri Lanka made four changes to their last ODI played in March v New Zealand at Nelson.
Opening bowler Kashvee Gautam was the other Indian debutant besides Shree Charani
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