India Women outclass SL Women in first ODI: Key stats
India Women clinched a four-wicket win over Sri Lanka Women in the first ODI in Pallekele. Three-fors from Renuka Singh and Deepti Sharma kept the hosts under pressure throughout. The hosts compiled 171, riding on the top shows from Nilakshi de Silva (43) and Hasini Perera (37). India got the job done (176/6) with Shafali Verma (35) and Harmanpreet Kaur (44) shining.
How did the first ODI pan out?
SL lost wickets at frequent intervals and managed 171 after electing to bat. A crucial 47-run stand between de Silva and Anushka Sanjeewani saw the hosts rack up runs in the middle overs. India Women too faced hurdles in what seemed like an easy run-chase. Inoka Ranaweera's four-fer brought the Lankans back into the game. However, the visitors' tail-enders eventually got the job done.
Indian bowlers put up an all-round effort
Renuka (3/29) and Deepti (3/25) chimed in with stupendous figures. The former now has six ODI scalps at 20.16. Meanwhile, the latter has steered to 84 scalps at 30.44. Against SL, the off-spinner has claimed 19 wickets at 11.89. Spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad (1/33) has raced to 93 ODI wickets at 20.17. Pooja Vastrakar (2/26) and Harmanpreet Kaur (1/13) had crucial contributions too.
Madavi, Perera attain these numbers
Lankan opener Perera came up with a decent-looking 37 off 54 deliveries (five fours). Against India, the southpaw has now compiled 126 runs at 31.50. She now has 499 runs in 36 innings. Meanwhile, Harshitha Madavi opted for a cautious approach throughout. She added 28 off 54 deliveries (three fours). She has now steered to 397 ODI runs at 24.81.
Nilakshi misses out on a well-deserved fifty
Nilakshi proved to be a key contributor as SL managed a 170-plus total. The number six batter hoarded 43 off 63 deliveries with the help of four fours. She looked set for a maiden ODI fifty but was out LBW on a slower one from Renuka. Nilakshi has now raced to 373 runs in 23 ODIs. Against India, she has 95 runs at 23.75.
Ranaweera's four-for troubled the visitors
The wicket had plenty to offer for the spinners. And, Ranaweera cashed in on the same to hoard figures of 4/39 in 10 overs. The slow left-arm orthodox pocketed the prized wickets of Shafali, Harmanpreet, and Harleen. She claimed her best figures in 50 overs. She has now steered to 68 scalps at 31.16. Against India, Ranaweera has now claimed nine wickets at 30.44.
Shafali gets back to scoring ways
Shafali Verma looked at her regular best post the shoddy run in the T20Is. The opener bashed 40-ball 35, striking at a superb 87.50. She slammed two sixes and a four. She has raced past 400 runs (402) in ODIs at 25.12. Meanwhile, middle-order batter Harleen Deol chipped in with a clutch 34 off 40 deliveries (two fours). It's her highest score in ODIs.
3,000 ODI runs for Harmanpreet
Harmanpreet smacked a composed 44 off 63 deliveries (three fours). She fetched a 44-run stand with Shafali and later, a healthy 62-run partnership with Harleen on the other end. The skipper has raced past 3,000 ODI runs (3,026) at 35.60. She has become only the second India Women batter beside Mithali Raj (7,805) to surpass the 3,000-run mark in ODIs.
