NewKerala.com

Key Points

Sri Lanka's women pulled off a thrilling chase against India led by half-centuries from Samarawickrama and Silva. Captain Athapaththu praised her young team's fearless approach despite her own batting struggles. The victory marked Sri Lanka's second-highest successful ODI chase in women's cricket history. With this win, Sri Lanka remain in contention for the tri-series final against South Africa.

Key Points: Chamari Athapaththu Praises SL Women After Record Chase vs India

  • SL completes 2nd highest women's ODI chase vs India
  • Athapaththu credits young batters despite personal form struggles
  • Samarawickrama and Silva hit crucial fifties
  • Victory keeps SL in tri-series final contention
2 min read

Youngsters playing their best cricket: Chamari Athapaththu hails batters after SL win over India Women

Sri Lanka captain hails young batters as team completes second-highest ODI chase against India in tri-series thriller

"Youngsters are playing their best cricket - Chamari Athapaththu"

Colombo, May 5

Sri Lanka Women's skipper Chamari Athapaththu praised his team's 'positive' brand of cricket following a win over India.

Chasing 276 to make it back-to-back wins in the tri-series, the hosts' batters produced a sublime performance to close out the run chase with five balls to spare.

"Actually, we are playing positive cricket in the last game and today. I am happy as a captain, youngsters are playing their best cricket. We are ready to bat first, too. We will try to score 250+ when we are put in to bat," Athapaththu said after the win as quoted by the ICC.

Athapaththu had amassed scores of just scores of 7 and 6 against India and South Africa, respectively, in the first two games, but contributed a 33-ball 23 in the 276-run chase on Sunday. After being wicketless in the first two games, the spinner came back strongly with three scalps against India.

Speaking on her form, the 35-year-old acknowledged the need to lead the way as the most experienced player in the squad.

"Last two games, I have not been in my best form, so we thought of trying something differently ahead of the World Cup. As a senior player, I need to lead from the front. I have been playing cricket for 15 years, but didn't bowl a lot. But I am bowling a lot these days. I'm just trying to keep it simple and on the stumps, that's my mantra," she added.

Chasing 276, half-centuries from Harshitha Samarawickrama (53) and Nilakshika Silva (56) proved to be the game changers after the Indian bowlers struck at regular intervals in the second phase of the game to disrupt the home side's momentum, according to the Icc.com

The win over India came in what was Sri Lanka's second-highest successful run chase in Women's ODIs.

Earlier, India struck 275/9 from their 50-over quota, thanks to Richa Ghosh's superb 58-run knock and able support from the rest of the batters in the lineup, according to Icc.com.

Sri Lanka next take on South Africa in their final league stage clash on Friday, May 9, as they look to book their place in the final.

- ANI

Share this article:

Reader Comments

P
Priya K.
Well played Sri Lanka! Our girls will bounce back stronger 💪. Richa Ghosh's innings was brilliant though - she's becoming our backbone in middle order. Let's not forget we're still preparing for bigger tournaments.
R
Rahul S.
Chamari is such an inspirational captain! But our bowling needs more teeth in death overs - gave away 20 runs too many. Fielding was also below par today. Hope Harmanpreet & co. analyze this properly before WC.
A
Ananya M.
SL played with great spirit! But honestly, we missed Jemimah's experience today. Our middle order collapsed after Richa's wicket. Need better partnerships in crucial moments. Nevertheless, good warm-up before WC!
V
Vikram J.
Kudos to SL for chasing 276! But our team needs to be more consistent. One day we beat top teams, next day we lose to lower ranked sides. Bowling changes by captain were questionable today. Hope we learn from this!
S
Sunita R.
As an Indian cricket fan, I'm happy to see women's cricket growing in our neighborhood! More competition means better quality matches. Chamari's leadership is admirable 👏. Our girls will come back stronger in finals!
K
Karan P.
Good game overall! But our spinners were unusually expensive today. Poonam Yadav's absence was felt. SL batters played smart cricket though - rotated strike well in middle overs. Need to work on our field placements!

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50