Be it the slow burn of the first T20I or the swift mercy of the second, the outcome remained the same, with a seven-wicket win for India at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam helping it take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Perhaps more importantly, though, the evening marked a quiet redemption for Sree Charani.
After fumbling chances in the opener, she returned with surer hands, her two catches snuffing out a possible middle-order resistance. The first of those helped Vaishnavi Sharma—who made her debut in the previous fixture, where a drop from Sree Charani denied her a maiden scalp—finally get off the mark in international cricket.
Sri Lanka had learned from its earlier mistakes, batting with intent and improved shot selection. But all the promise of the start tapered thanks to the capitulation of the end, with five wickets falling for just 19 runs as the side limped to 128/9.
Kranti Gaud caught Vishmi Gunaratne in the first over off her own bowling, which meant Chamari Athapaththu was forced to play rescuer again. After an early reprieve, courtesy of a Charani slip-up in the deep, Athapaththu began to counterattack, the standout being a 72-metre six off Arundhati Reddy.
The onslaught was brief, as a miscued straight drive failed to clear long off, where Amanjot Kaur completed a comfortable catch, drawing loud cheers from the partisan 6,000-strong crowd.
Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama maintained urgency, with the latter smacking the still-inexperienced Vaishnavi for three successive boundaries. Harmanpreet Kaur brought back Kranti, which helped stem the run flow, with just a solitary boundary coming in the next 28 deliveries.
Charani used the simmering pressure to dismiss Hasini with a neat caught-and-bowled. Sri Lanka was once again handed lessons on grounding the bat, with Harshitha making the long walk back to the pavilion despite a well-timed dive.
The Indian chase defined the concept of a walk in the park, with Shafali Verma’s scintillating half-century—her 12th in the format—anchoring a pursuit that did the job with 49 balls to spare.
Despite losing Smriti Mandhana early, the strong Indian batting order barely broke a sweat. Even the otherwise commanding Inoka Ranaweera and Chamari were taken apart, with a burst of exhibition hitting yielding 48 runs in just three overs. If the pyrotechnics weren’t enough, Chamari’s warm congratulations to Shafali and the thrill of a quick win for a vocal fanbase proved the perfect concoction for a cold evening on the East Coast.
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