We have not been batting well, says SL captain Athapaththu after loss to India
Pallekele [Sri Lanka], July 1 (ANI): Following her side's four-wicket loss to India in the first ODI, Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu has said that the side has not been batting well.
Team India defeated Sri Lanka by four wickets in the first ODI of the three-match series at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele on Friday.
For women in Blue, Harmanpreet Kaur and Shafali Verma played knocks of 44 and 35 respectively as the team chased the target of 172 with 12 overs still to go.
Earlier, Fiery knocks by Hasini Perera (37) and Nilakshi de Silva (46) went in vain as brilliant bowling by Renuka Singh and Deepti Sharma bundled out Sri Lanka on a modest total of 171.
"We have not been batting well. We thought 230 was a good score. We had to stick to our plans. We need to score 230-240 to defend. We need to bounce back," said the Lankan skipper in a post-match presentation.
Chasing a total of 172, India had a decent start as their score read 37/2 after the first 10 overs in the match.
Smriti Mandhana and Yastika Bhatia fell early, but Shafali Verma kept things ticking over alongside Harmanpreet Kaur. The Indian captain and Harleen Deol put on a crucial 62-run partnership after the fall of Shafali, racking up the runs at a fast clip.
Inoka Ranaweera created a minor scare as she claimed Kaur for a well-paced 44 and Deol shortly after for 34.
With just 34 needed to win and four wickets remaining, the Lankan spinner claimed her fourth wicket, that of Richa Ghosh.
With 12 overs remaining, Deepti Sharma and Pooja Vastrakar maintained their composure to see the innings through.
Opting to bat first, Sri Lanka got off a shaky start. Skipper Chamari Athapaththu was sent back to the pavilion after scoring just two runs.
India offered a good mix of spin with Deepti Sharma and pace with Renuka Singh and it bore fruit as the spinner dismissed Hansima Karunaratne in the 6.6 overs.
The hosts crossed the 100-run mark in the 28 over with five wickets down. Harshitha Samarawickrama and Nilakshi de Silva kept going with some solid strike rotation. Pooja Vastrakar provided her team with a wicket, dismissing Samarawickrama for a well-made 28.
Nilakshi de Silva did hit Indian bowlers all around the ground and scored 46 runs in 63 balls.
Sri Lanka's score read 145-7 in 42 overs. Oshadi Ranasinghe and Rashmi Silva somehow tried to anchor the partnership to take their team to a modest total.
Singh struck against in the 44th over dismissing Oshadi Ranasinghe for eight runs.
Inoka Ranaweera then came to bat for the hosts but Indian bowlers kept up their attack bowling out Sri Lanka for 171. (ANI)
Source: Sports