Left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma got her international career off to a good start by making a valuable contribution in the first T20I against Sri Lanka on Sunday, December 21. Sharma’s consistent pressure never allowed Sri Lanka to get going in the innings and were restricted to 121/6 in their allotted 20 overs.
With disciplined bowling, she finished with figures of 0 for 16 from four overs, building the pressure and offering few opportunities to the Sri Lankan batsmen during her spell. Reflecting on her debut, Sharma was quick to praise captain Harmanpreet Kaur for her support and guidance, especially at key moments.
“She told me I’d done a good job in the past. ‘You did a great job. You performed incredible.’ She was giving me her blessings,” Sharma said in the post-match press conference.
Sharma also highlighted the clarity and single-minded focus that Harmanpreet brings to the team. “Every time there’s a huddle, he tells us to focus on one thing. He tells us to focus on what we can do well today,” she added.
Despite her composed show, Sharma admitted that she felt nervous before the start of the game. “Yes, I was nervous before the national anthem. I calmed down after the national anthem,” she said.
For India, Kranti Gaud (1/23), Deepti Sharma (1/20) and Shree Charani (1/30) were among the wickets as they kept the cuts above the hosts throughout their innings, which also witnessed three run outs.
Jemimah leads the Indian run
Later in the second innings, Jemimah Rodrigues anchored the chase with a smooth 69 not out off 44 balls, including 10 boundaries. Her performance equaled Mithali Raj’s record of four 50+ T20I scores against Sri Lanka.
Opener Smriti Mandhana also added another milestone by becoming only the second woman to reach 4000 T20I runsjoining Suzie Bates from New Zealand. Mandhana achieved the feat in 3227 balls, faster than Bates’ 3675 deliveries.
Mandhana and Jemimah added a vital partnership of 54 runs for the second wicket from 41 balls to put India firmly in control. Jemimah then combined with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (15*) for a 39-ball third wicket unbeaten 55 runs.
Courtesy of their performances, Chasing down the target in 14.4 overs, the Women in Blue recorded an emphatic eight-wicket win in the first T20I. Rodrigues was deservedly named Player of the Match for her match-winning half-century. Meanwhile, after securing a commanding victory in the series opener, India will now look to continue the momentum in the second T20I on December 23 in Visakhapatnam.
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Issued by:
Rishabh Beniwal
Published on:
December 22, 2025
