Rodrigues fifty leads India's chase after bowlers set up victory against Sri Lanka

There was a little bit of rustiness as India returned to action 50 days after becoming ODI world champions, but not so much to prevent them from registering a dominant win in the first T20I against Sri Lanka in Visakhapatnam.

Despite dew being a constant presence on a cool evening, India's spinners rallied to keep Sri Lanka's top order in check - even if they did not pick up wickets in a heap - thus restricting them to 121 for 6. It was a below-par total given that the dew was only going to increase as the temperatures reduced - something Harmanpreet Kaur had alluded to while choosing to chase at the toss. India made easy work of it to get home with eight wickets and 32 balls to spare, starting their road to the T20 World Cup 2026 in June on the right note.

Jemimah Rodrigues, batting for the 100th time in T20Is, struck a 14th half-century in the format to help the hosts canter. There was a mild intrigue around India's No. 3, with Harleen Deol batting at that spot for two games in England, and Harmanpreet signaling her intent to be India's one drop at the last T20 World Cup. But Rodrigues' 69 not out from 44 balls should dispel any doubts India would have had.

This was India's sixth win in ten games since being knocked out in the league stage of the 2024 iteration.

India opted to go with three seamers, with two-T20I-old Kranti Gaud preferred over Renuka Singh as the lone frontline seamer. Allrounders Arundhati Reddy and Amanjot Kaur were the other two. Gaud made an early impact by dismissing Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu in the third over. She had bowled each of her ten balls before the wicket ball from over the wicket, and was hit for three fours. Two of those came in the four balls before the dismissal.

Gaud then switched angles, and got in a 109.2kph length ball to nip back in past Athapaththu's inside edge to bowl her and pick up her maiden T20I wicket. That allowed India's spinners to set about their work of stifling the batters. Each of Sri Lanka's next two pairs faced 38 balls, but they couldn't find the next gear. Vishmi Gunaratne, Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama used the variations of sweep to good effect - even if it resulted in Perera's dismissal.

Vaishnavi Sharma, on international debut, was one of the three spinners India used on Sunday, and she almost struck with her third ball when Perera's slog sweep landed just short of deep square leg running in. In her next over, Vaishnavi should have had Perera caught at short fine leg, only for fellow left-arm spinner N Shree Charani to drop a dolly.

Charani was in the spotlight again when Reddy was denied a wicket. Samarawickrama was the beneficiary when a miscued skier was grassed after Charani, running in from deep backward square leg, once again misjudged it. Three balls later, Samrawickrama got another life when Rodrigues missed a chance at backward point, though it was a spectacular one-handed diving effort in the ring that enabled her to reach it in first place.

In Charani's last over, Smriti Mandhana dropped a sitter at long-off and parried Vishmi Gunaratne's mis-hit for a six. That ended a 34-ball boundary drought. However, Charani struck next ball to dismiss the Sri Lanka opener for 39 off 43 balls.

Despite all that, India gave away only 30 runs in the death overs (17 to 20) to restrict Sri Lanka to a low total.

The first ball Shafali Verma faced in international cricket since that glowing night in Navi Mumbai was a free hit, after quick Malki Madara overstepped on the previous ball. Shafali pulled it away for four over square leg, and scored another boundary in the opening over of the chase courtesy an off-drive past mid-off. But Shafali's stay was short after she found square leg with a flick off seamer Kavya Kavindi in the next over.

Thereon, it was about Mandhana and Rodrigues setting the chase up, which the latter completed in Harmanpreet's company. Mandhana was slightly scratchy, getting a few inside edges onto her body and missing a few attempted drives. Her first four also was symbolic as it came via an inside edge that went past off stump. That, though, didn't prevent her from becoming the second woman to go past 4000 T20I runs.

Rodrigues more than picked up the slack at the other end. The 16-run over from the ambidextrous Shashini Gimhani, who only bowled left-arm wristspin on the night, ended the powerplay to help India raise the tempo. Rodrigues used the depth of the crease well, assimilated fours using plenty of dabs and sweeps, and got to her fifty in 34 balls.

Even after Mandhana holed out to deep extra cover, Rodrigues continued her flow. Rodrigues added 54 off 42 balls with Mandhana, and then an unconquered 55 in 39 with Harmanpreet to give Sri Lanka a lot to think about during a short turnaround before the second T20I at the same venue on Tuesday.