Shafali Verma hit a blistering unbeaten 69 as India made short work of a paltry target to outclass Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the second Women's T20 International, in Visakhapatnam, on Tuesday.
India lead the five-match series 2-0 after another one-sided victory, having restricted Sri Lanka to a modest 128 for 9 through a collective display of disciplined bowling from the spin trio of seasoned Sneh Rana, ably complemented by young spinners Vaishnavi Sharma and Shree Charani.
During the chase, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (14) fell cheaply but Shafali, enjoying new found confidence after a stellar show in the ODI World Cup final last month, sent the bowlers on a leather-hunt during her 34-ball knock, which included 11 fours and a six, to take Indai to victory in just 11.5 overs.
The hosts have now completed back-to-back successful chases within 15 overs which speaks volumes about the unit's sky-high confidence.
The floodgates opened when Shafali took the attack to left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera, hitting her over extra cover every time the spinner gave some flight. Her footwork against slow bowlers was immaculate whether stepping out to loft the ball or rocking back to punch or pull.
Newly-appointed Delhi Capitals skipper Jemimah Rodrigues (26 off 15 balls) also adopted an attacking approach, as the duo added 58 runs in just 4.3 overs for the second wicket.
By the time Rodrigues was out trying to hit one six too many, the match as a contest was over. Shafali completed her half-century off just 27 balls and completed the formalities in a jiffy.
Earlier, off-spinner Rana, who got a look-in after Deepti Sharma was ruled out due to fever, showed her utility keeping the Lankan batters under tight leash with figures of 1 for 11 in 4 overs, including a maiden which certainly is a rarity in T20 cricket.
Sri Lanka suffered a late collapse, losing their six wickets for only 24 runs.
Off-spinner Rana, who got a look-in after Deepti Sharma was ruled out due to fever, showed her utility keeping the Lankan batters under tight leash with figures of 1 for 11 in four overs, including a maiden.
Charani, who made an impression during India's ODI World Cup triumph, took 2 for 23 in her quota of overs while Vaishnavi after an impressive debut in the opening encounter, finished with 2 for 32 not letting the Islanders get easy runs in her second spell.
Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu (31 off 24 balls) looked in good nick as she deposited length deliveries from seamers Kranti Gaud and Arundhati Reddy over the ropes but it was Rana, who kept her quiet by repeatedly pitching on good length.
After India's bowlers dried up the runs, Athapaththu attempted to Rana over the top but failed to middle the ball and was taken by Amanjot Kaur at long-off in the sixth over.
This was after Athapaththu's opening partner Vishmi Gunaratne (1) had offered a simple return catch to Gaud.
Hasini Perera (22 off 28 balls) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (33 off 32 balls) did stitch a stand of 44 but they could never set the tempo against the Indian spin troika.
Once Hasini offered a tame return catch off a Charani full toss, Sri Lankans never recovered and lost wickets in a heap towards the end.
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