Vaishnavi Sharma enjoyed a dream start to her international career, delivering a composed and impactful performance on debut as India Women defeated Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the first T20I at Visakhapatnam on Sunday.

Opting to field first, India produced a disciplined bowling effort to restrict Sri Lanka to 121 for 6 in their 20 overs. Making her T20I debut, Vaishnavi impressed with her control and maturity, returning figures of 4 overs for just 16 runs and never allowing the Sri Lankan batters to settle. Her economical spell played a key role in keeping the visitors under constant pressure.

Reflecting on her debut, Vaishnavi spoke about the confidence she drew from captain Harmanpreet Kaur.

“She was telling me that I have done a good job in the past and that I’ve given incredible performances. She gave me her blessing, which meant a lot,” Vaishnavi said.

Vaishnavi also praised Harmanpreet’s clarity and leadership within the team.

“Whenever there’s a huddle, she tells us to focus on one thing — what we can do well today,” she added.

Admitting to nerves before the game, Vaishnavi said they eased once the match began.

“I was nervous before the national anthem, but after that, I calmed down,” she said.

In reply, India chased down the modest target with ease, reaching 122 in just 14.4 overs. Jemimah Rodrigues led the charge with a fluent unbeaten 69 off 44 balls, striking 10 boundaries. The knock also saw her equal Mithali Raj’s record of four 50-plus scores against Sri Lanka in Women’s T20Is.

Smriti Mandhana chipped in with 25 and created history by becoming only the second woman to score 4,000 runs in T20 internationals, after New Zealand’s Suzie Bates. Mandhana also became the fastest to the milestone in terms of balls faced, achieving the feat in 3,227 balls compared to Bates’ 3,675.

Mandhana and Jemimah added a vital 54-run partnership for the second wicket, putting India firmly in control of the chase. Jemimah later stitched an unbeaten 55-run stand with captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who remained not out on 15, to seal the comfortable win.

Earlier, India’s bowlers maintained pressure throughout Sri Lanka’s innings. Kranti Gaud, Deepti Sharma and Shree Charani picked up a wicket each, while three Sri Lankan batters were run out. Vishmi Gunaratne top-scored for the visitors with 39 off 43 balls but struggled to accelerate and was dismissed in the 18th over.

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