Sri Lanka’s resurgence in women’s cricket has put them on the radar of their opponents, including India, as the two teams prepare to face off in a crucial group league match of the Women’s T20 World Cup.
India’s talented opener Shafali Verma acknowledged Sri Lanka’s improved performance, particularly their victory over India in the last Asia Cup final. She emphasized that the islanders are no longer solely reliant on their talismanic skipper Chamari Athapaththu.
“There was a time when Chamari was the one scoring most of the runs and taking wickets, but in the Asia Cup, her entire team performed well. They’ve improved a lot, which is why they won the cup,” said Verma.
India’s vice-captain Smriti Mandhana highlighted the importance of the match against Australia, which will be a do-or-die encounter for the defending champions. She stressed the need to minimize errors and play their best game to overcome the Southern Stars.
“As a player all games are important, when you come to the world cup you have to give 100 per cent each game, Sri Lanka is a good team in our group. But with Australia, you can’t make errors and minimize them, and you have to get the best game on that particular day to get the better of them,” said Mandhana.
Pacer Renuka Singh Thakur identified Athapaththu as a key player for Sri Lanka and expressed her intention to dismiss her early. She believes that Athapaththu’s audacious strokeplay can single-handedly turn the game in Sri Lanka’s favor.
“Chamari Athapaththu is very interesting. She’s the only one from Sri Lanka who takes the team to the other side. I try to get her out as soon as possible because if she is set, she can take over the match. So I have a plan on how to get her out,” said Thakur.
India will need to be at their best to overcome a resurgent Sri Lanka and secure a victory that will boost their net run-rate ahead of the crucial match against Australia. The match promises to be a thrilling contest between two teams with contrasting strengths and weaknesses.
