The big sisters showed no mercy.
It was the most ruthless display of dominating cricket from the Indian women in recent memory in the five-match T20I series against the neighbouring Sri Lanka that concluded at the Greenfield Stadium on Tuesday night. Yes, the Lankans put up a superb fight in that last game, as they narrowed the margin down to 15 runs – a big improvement after defeats by eight wickets, seven wickets, eight wickets and 30 runs.
It was a performance the young Lankan side could take heart from. Rumesh Ratnayake, the former quick who took over the reins at a difficult time and turned things around with a maiden T20I series victory in England and an unforgettable win in the Asia Cup final against India, must be pleased with that effort in what was his last game as the coach.
But, for that match, India had rested Smriti Mandhana and Renuka Singh. That the Women in Blue still won convincingly shows that their bench is getting stronger.
The absence of Smriti and the early departure of Shafali Verma, after three successive fifties, allowed Harmanpreet Kaur to play a captain’s knock. And the top and middle-order’s failure gave chances for the likes of Amanjot Kaur – she loves to play the rescuer’s role – and Arundhati Reddy to highlight the importance of all-rounders in this Indian team.
Champion stuff
And it was a series to remember for the side’s champion all-rounder. Deepti Sharma’s gritty batting was hardly required, but she ended up as one of the leading bowlers of the series, which actually saw her become the leading bowler in women’s T20I cricket. She overtook Australian seamer Megan Schutt when she trapped Nilakshika Silva lbw in the final T20I. That was her 152nd wicket.
The series also saw India blooding another young spinner. And Vaishnavi Sharma impressed, too. The left-armer from Gwalior is no product of the WPL, and she came through the junior and domestic cricket. That point cannot be overstressed: not every player’s life changes with the rise of a paddle at the auction and there should be other stages to prove one’s skills.
Vaishnavi has do a lot more though to stake a claim for a place in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup in England later this year. The Lanka series has shown the Women in Blue are on the right road in their preparation. And they did their reputation as the World champions – though in a different format — no harm.
