India outclass Sri Lanka to take commanding 2-0 lead

A combined performance from the spinners, followed by an aggressive half-century from Shafali Verma saw India coast to a 2-0 lead in the five-match series against Sri Lanka in Visakhapatnam. In a repeat of the opening fixture, the visitors struggled to find their gears on a flat deck despite a positive start, eventually sliding to a sub-par 128/9 before Verma's whirlwind 69 not out ensured the chase was a mere formality, completed with seven wickets and 49 balls to spare.

Choosing to bowl first, India were briefly put on the back foot by Chamari Athapaththu. Unlike the series opener where she fell early, the Sri Lankan skipper came out with intent, finding the fence with regularity in the PowerPlay. However, the introduction of Sneh Rana, who replaced an ill Deepti Sharma, turned the tide. Rana's (4-1-11-1) discipline choked the scoring, and when she deceived Athapaththu in the final over of the PowerPlay, the visitors' innings began its familiar unravelling.

Sri Lanka's middle order once again failed to capitalize on the start. While Harshitha Samarawickrama showed glimpses of class, the scoring rate plummeted as the Indian spinners operated with surgical precision. Vaishnavi Sharma was a bit expensive but Sree Charani redeemed herself after a forgettable Game 1 - both claiming two apiece and never allowing the Sri Lankan batters to settle. Three run-outs, a recurring headache for Sri Lanka this series, further crippled their progress, leaving them with a total that was never going to be enough against India's in-form batting.

The chase began with a brief flutter as Smriti Mandhana, looking to accelerate early against Kaveesha Dilhari, fell for 16. But any hopes of a Sri Lankan fightback were ruthlessly snuffed out by Verma. The opener was at her destructive best, treating the Lankan attack with disdain. She greeted the spin of Inoka Ranaweera with a flurry of boundaries and didn't spare the mystery of Shashini Gimhani either, hammering the mystery spinner for back-to-back fours towards the end. In between, she took Athapaththu to the cleaners, with a 4,6,4 in the final PowerPlay over.

At the other end, Jemimah Rodrigues played the perfect foil before finding her own rhythm. Rodrigues took a particular liking to the spinners, sweeping and lofting with surgical timing to keep the run-rate well above 10. By the time Verma brought up her fifty, off just 27 deliveries, the result was a foregone conclusion.

India did lose Rodrigues and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur towards the close of the chase, but they crossed the line in the 12th over, underlining the gulf in class between the two sides.

Brief scores: Sri Lanka 128/9 in 20 overs (Harshitha Samarawickrama 33, Chamari Athapaththu 31; Sree Charani 2/23, Sneh Rana 1/11) lost to India 129/3 in 11.5 overs (Shafali Verma 69*, Jemimah Rodrigues 26) by 7 wickets