India captain Harmanpreet Kaur praised Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma for their blistering 162-run partnership, taking the side to a 30-run win over a spirited Sri Lanka in the fourth women’s T20I at the Greenfield International Stadium on Sunday.
Smriti, who was named Player of the Match, and Shafali struck brilliant knocks of 80 and 79 respectively before Richa Ghosh (40 not out) and Harmanpreet ensured a strong finish to take India to 221/2, their highest ever score in the format.
“We were getting short on time, and I wanted everyone to be on time. I didn’t want the last over with three fielders outside (on her angry expressions in the back end). I have been playing for ages, so I try to improve after each game. We should give credit to Smriti and Shafali for the start they gave.
“Also to Richa and me for finishing the innings. We thought we would give a chance for Harleen, but how the game went, we thought Richa would finish the game and didn’t give her a chance to bat,” said Harmanpreet in the post-match presentation ceremony.
Smriti, who crossed 10,000 international runs during her knock, admitted the switch back to T20 cricket was a challenge after playing tons of ODIs.
“After playing a lot of ODI cricket, it was hard to get into T20 mode. Playing six months of ODI and coming back to T20 was a bit hard mentally. The plans were similar; I had some game plans against them. I came early and tried to work on that,” she added.
She also talked about Shafali’s knock and the camaraderie in the team. “To watch Shafali bat from the other end is always a treat for the eyes. We complement each other well. Happy with the way she has matured with her batting. In the last one year, there’s been a different team building that has happened. We are happy with each other’s success, and when she (Kamalini) took the catch, we were all happy.”
Sri Lanka made a spirited attempt in chasing down 222, and made 191/6 in 20 overs, the highest score they have ever posted in women’s T20Is. Captain Chamari Athapaththu acknowledged her side’s batting improvement but rued the inexperience in the bowling attack.
“At least we improved in our batting areas. We still need to improve our power-hitting. They (India) batted really good according to their plans. Our bowlers didn’t bowl well, but it is a young bowling attack and a lot of inexperience.
“They learn a lot of things from these tournaments because they’re playing with the best team in the world at the moment. I hope they’ll play their best in the next game,” she said.
Chamari also had special praise for left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma, who took 2-24. “She (Vaishanvi) has been bowling really good; she’s improved a lot because she played under-19, and I saw how she played. She doesn’t play WPL, but she bowled really good, and according to the plan, the most important thing is how she planned her spells. I saw how Harmanpreet managed her, really good for India.”
