Deepti Sharma took a stunning catch to dismiss Sri Lanka’s Harshitha Madavi in during India’s 34-run win in the first of three T20Is in Dambulla on Thursday, June 23.
India Women have made an impressive start to their ongoing Sri Lanka tour, with a comfortable 34-run win in the first T20I of the three-match series in Dambulla on Thursday.
Spinners Radha Yadav (2/22) and Deepti Sharma (1/9), and seam-bowling all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar (1/13) were India’s standout bowlers as they limited Sri Lanka Women to 104/5 in the allotted 20 overs in their run-chase of 139.
Deepti had a fine moment on the field, when she grabbed a stunning catch at the deep square-leg position to dismiss Sri Lanka’s No.3 Harshitha Madavi. Yadav dropped one slightly short, spinning in towards the left-hander, who shaped for a pull. She got it fairly well off the bat, but was undone by Deepti, who ran forward towards her right from the deep backward square region, and completed a tumbling catch inches above the ground.
Sri Lanka were 27/3 in the seventh over, after having lost skipper Chamari Athapaththu two balls earlier.
Not enough has been said/shared about this stunning catch from Deepti Sharma.
(🎥: Fancode) #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/TJXy9DNpxa
— S. Sudarshanan (@Sudarshanan7) June 25, 2022
Earlier, the visitors didn’t have the best of starts after having opted to bat, with experienced opener Smriti Mandhana and No.3 Sabbhineni Meghana dismissed off successive deliveries from left-arm quick Oshadi Ranasinghe with just 17 runs on board in the fourth over of the innings.
Shefali Verma (31) and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (22) added 39 for the third wicket, but both fell in quick succession to leave India at 58/4 in the 11th over. It was Jemimah Rodrigues’ stabilising act of an unbeaten 26 off 27 that helped India to a defendable total of 138/6, with Deepti (17* off 8) and Vastrakar (14 off 12) providing some late flourish.
The second T20I will be played at the same venue on Saturday, June 25.