India vs Sri Lanka: Rario’s Women Ambassadors return with impressive performances

Rario’s Women Ambassadors Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana returned with impressive performances as the Indian women’s team clinched both T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka. It was Shafali in particular who remained consistent with the bat while Smriti also played a few good knocks. India won the T20I series 2-1 and clean-swept the ODI series 3-0. 

The tour began with the T20I series. The first match was  played at Dambulla, in which Shafali made run-a-ball 31 on a slightly tough wicket. Smriti, however, couldn’t do much. In the second game, Smriti made a good comeback by scoring 39 runs off 34 balls while opening the innings. Shafali also contributed 17. The third game, which India lost, saw Smriti making 22 and Shafali 5. 

Then as the three-match ODI series began, Shafali and Smriti continued to open the innings for India. In the first game where India was chasing a 172-run total, Shafali again helped India start well. She made 35 runs off 40 balls as India went on to win the game by 4 wickets. 

The second ODI was the best match of the tour for these exceedingly talented cricketers. After Sri Lanka put on a total of 173 runs on board batting first, Shafali and Smriti walked out to bat in a different style altogether. They seemed in an unreal touch on that day with Lankan bowlers left wondering how to get through them.

The duo chased down the target single-handedly, leading India to a massive 10-wicket victory. Smriti made unbeaten 94 runs off 83 balls, which included fancy-looking 11 fours and a six. Shafali, on the other hand, also struck run-a-ball 71, studded with four fours and a six. 

In the last match of the tour on Thursday, Shafali again stole the show with her 49 runs off 50 balls. She helped India get started on a dominating note to end up posting a decent total of 255 runs on board. Sri Lanka, in response, could only make 216 runs, handing India a 3-0 series win. 

STATS:

Smriti Mandha in T20I series: 3 matches, 62 runs

Shafali Verma in T20I series: 3 matches, 58 runs

Smriti Mandhana in ODI series: 3 matches, 104 runs

Shafali Verma in ODI series: 3 matches, 155 runs

Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana are Rario’s women cricket ambassadors. Exclusive player cards featuring both these Indian stars would soon be available on Rario, log onto www.rario.com for more details