By Srian Obeyesekere
India drew first blood yesterday trouncing hosts Sri Lanka by 9 wickets and 56 balls to spare in a highly professional display in the Servo Cup Women’s Tri-Nation ODI Series 39 over rain reduced curtain raiser at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium with the Lankans tripping over having much to do with the suicidal run out of No. 3 batter Harshitha Samarawickrama. The next best batter after the skipper, was in that fatal setback the culprit to the 147 folding up by her poor judgement for an useless run. It cost Sri Lanka the match particularly after she had done the early spade work of reviving the innings from 23 for 1 to 67 together with Hashini Perera a quick fire 30 off 46 balls.
Getting run out in a crunch big stage game is inexcusable, and Samarawickrama sacrificing her wicket for 14 when the team needed her as never before when she looked set was a clear failure to shoulder the responsibility of compensating for the skipper’s early loss to staying there and ensuring there were enough runs on the board.
Similarly, Hasni Karunaratne’s failure to take a quick back up start was faulty on her part, but Samarawickrama being the leader in that situation should have had instant eyeball gauge that in the circumstances of the suicidal plunge she was making where there was no return long out of her reach.
By and large, Sri Lanka blew it up from that stage buckling before India’s lethal all-spin demolition spearheaded by Sneh Rana’s 3-wicket burst and 2 each by Dupti Sharma and Shree Charani to openers Smriti Mandhana 43 off 46 and Pratika Rawal a Player of the Match 50 to the very end in a clinical cornerstone 54 off 9.5 overs upfront bonding to seeing India through against a clueless Lankan bowling attack.
Of course, the playmaker in that Indian victory charge was the experienced Mandhana who was on to the job in a spurt best illustrated by the fact that Rawal’s contribution to the partnership was just 11.
But in contrasting chalk and cheese displays to the common victory goal, Mandhana in comparison stole the early show like a lightning bolt studded with 7 boundaries from where Pratika Rawal took over blossoming to a 62-ball 50 filled with 7 boundaries in that 149 for 1 finish in the unfinished second wicket 95-run pairing with Harleen Deol 43 off 46 with 6 boundaries to finishing it off in just 29.4 overs of the rain reduced 39 overs contest.
Chief Scores
Sri Lanka Women 147 (38.1 Overs)
(Hasini Perera 30, Kavishka Dilhari 25, Anushka Sanjeewani 22, Achini Kulasuriya 17, Harshitha Samarawickrama 14, Sneh Rana 3/31, Deepti Sharma 2/22, Shree Charani 2/26, Arundhathi Reddy 1/26)
India Women 149/1 (29.4 Overs)
(Pratika Rawal n.o. 50, Smriti Mandhana 43, Harleen Deol n.o. 48, Inoka Ranaweera 1/32)
