In the first T20 International (T20I) of the ongoing three-match series, India Women defeated Sri Lanka Women by 34 runs at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium on Thursday.

Batting first, the visitors managed to post 138/6 in their allotted 20 overs, thanks to a crucial knock by Jemimah Rodrigues. The right-handed batter shined with the bat in her comeback game, scoring a vital unbeaten knock of 36 runs off 27 deliveries, with the help of three fours and a six.

Apart from Rodrigues, opener Shafali Verma (31) and captain Harmanpreet Kaur (22) chipped in with valuable contributions to take India to a respectable total.

In reply, the hosts could only manage to reach 104/5 in 20 overs, losing the contest by 38 runs. Kavisha Dilhari top scored with an unbeaten 47 from 49 balls, but she didn’t get enough support from the other end. For the tourists, Radha Yadav picked up a couple of wickets for 22 runs in her quota of 4 overs.

“The pitches are similar to back home in Mumbai and I just applied myself, played my natural game. I love this country and it is a privilege for us to come and play some cricket here. Lot of support from the crowd and Sri Lankan cricket board as well,” said Rodrigues after the match.

Here is how Twitter reacted:

.@JemiRodrigues bags the Player of the Match award for her solid batting effort. 💪#TeamIndia begin the tour on a winning note as they beat Sri Lanka by 34 runs in the first #SLvIND T20I. 👏👏

Scorecard 👉 https://t.co/XZabWPxI67 pic.twitter.com/XHKtCMc1mA

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) June 23, 2022

India take the series lead with a comprehensive win over Sri Lanka 🙌#SLvIND | 📝 Scorecard: https://t.co/Yhi6MuzPBB pic.twitter.com/P2MBteIrvw

— ICC (@ICC) June 23, 2022

India beat Sri Lanka by 34 runs in the first T20 and take a 1-0 lead in the series – stars were Deepti Sharma and Jemimah – great start to the tour.

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) June 23, 2022

The #WomenInBlue go 1⃣🆙 🇮🇳🙌#INDvSL pic.twitter.com/v1RB4lBgzv

— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) June 23, 2022

One down, two to go.
These surfaces are going to challenge India’s batters – all of whom love throwing their hands at the ball. #SLvIND

— Ananya Upendran (@a_upendran11) June 23, 2022

India defeat Sri Lanka by 34 runs in the 1st T20I, lead series 1-0#SLvIND

— Subhayan Chakraborty (@CricSubhayan) June 23, 2022

Great balance and handwork there from Deepti Sharma 👌🏽#SLvIND pic.twitter.com/SFINcbuHEi

— Aditya Chaturvedi (@aditya_c19) June 23, 2022

India Women’s beat Sri Lanka Women’s by 34 runs to go 1-0 up in 3 Match T20I series!

Jemimah batting was biggest postive from the game as it was her comeback game!#SLvIND#SLWvINDW pic.twitter.com/sZuAf2q0bE

— Nilesh G (@oye_nilesh) June 23, 2022

Jemimah Rodrigues won Player of the Match award in her comeback game against SL!

That’s the perfect way to make a comeback in the Indian squad after being ignored during World Cup!#SLWvINDW #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/hryw7QOaBZ

— Nilesh G (@oye_nilesh) June 23, 2022

Glad to see Harman using part timers, as in Shafali took her 1st Intl wkt + many more to follow.#SLvIND

— Navaneet  (@Navanneett) June 23, 2022

Back to the winning way!!🫡
Well done India! 🇮🇳🇮🇳
Commendable job by Jemimah, Deepti, and all the bowlers!
India leads the T20I series 1-0! #India #SriLanka #SrilankaCricket #IndianCricketTeam #IndianCricket #SLvIND #CricketTwitter #SLWvINDW #SLWvsINDW

— Vaishnavi Iyer (@Vaishnaviiyer14) June 23, 2022

One good thing with the women in blue is that they have lots of bowling options with them to go with#SLvIND

— Sajan (@Sajansga) June 23, 2022

Cuts
Slog sweeps
Cover drives
Lofted cover drives

Well played Kavisha Dilhari!#SLvIND

— Devjani (@CricketKenway) June 23, 2022

For latest cricket news & updates, visit CricketTimes.com.