Smriti Mandhana Shatters Huge World Record, Enters Elite Women's T20I List

Star batter Smriti Mandhana shattered a huge India record during the 1st Women's T20I against Sri Lanka in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. The 29-year-old became the first Indian to breach the 4,000-run mark in women's T20Is. Overall, she is the second after New Zealand's Suzie Bates, who has scored 4,716 runs in 177 matches. In the first T20I against Sri Lanka, Mandhana scored a run-a-ball 25 before holing out in the ninth over of India's 122-run chase. However, Mandhana is quickest to do so in terms of balls taken (3227) than Bates, who took 3675 balls to reach the 4000 runs milestone.

This was Smriti's first appearance since the ODI World Cup final where India defeated South Africa to win their first title last month.

Earlier, India restricted Sri Lanka to a modest 121 for six after the visiting batters struggled to put away the loose balls.

Opener Vishmi Gunaratne top-scored for the visitors with a 43-ball 39, while Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama chipped in with 20 and 21 respectively.

Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu got into the act straightaway, clipping an innocuous Kranti Gaud delivery off her pads for a four.

Player of the Series in India's triumphant campaign in the recent ODI World Cup, Deepti Sharma (1/20 in 4 overs) dived to keep what looked like a certain boundary to just one run in the next over, before Athapaththu got two fours in three balls off Gaud.

The left-handed Athapaththu's aggressive approach forced Gaud to go around the wicket and the young seamer struck with a change in angle, the ball going through the gap between bat and pad to disturb the Sri Lankan captain's stumps and give India their first breakthrough.

Hasini found a boundary when she worked a Gaud delivery towards the deep fine leg region before home skipper Harmanpreet Kaur introduced Deepti inside the powerplay.

Hasini missed out on a couple of loose balls to help Deepti start with a maiden, which saw the Islanders remain at 31 for one at the end of powerplay.

Bowling a lot slower than her other left-arm spin colleague Shree Charani, debutant Vaishnavi Sharma (0/16 in 4 overs) began her journey in international cricket with a tidy spell. The 20-year-old conceded just three runs in her first over.

Hasini played a premeditated reverse sweep to collect a four off Shree Charani, who spilled a relatively straightforward chance at short fine leg in the next over to give the Lankan batter a reprieve.

Had Charani held on to that ball, it would have given Vaishnavi his maiden wicket.

Desperately looking for quick runs, Hasini, however, fell in the next over when she played the ball to Gaud at short third after attempting a reverse sweep against Deepti.

Dew was already setting in and even though the India bowlers were struggling to grip the ball, they did exceedingly well to keep Sri Lanka at 55 for two in the first 10 overs.

Having a bad day on the field, Charani then dropped Harshitha Madavi off Arundhati Reddy.

(With PTI Inputs)

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