India Women Smash Record 221 vs Sri Lanka, Mandhana-Verma Create History

India Women continued their dominant run in the T20I series against Sri Lanka by registering their highest-ever total in Women’s T20 Internationals, cruising to a fourth straight victory on Sunday. Batting first, the hosts piled up a massive 221/2, eclipsing their previous best score of 217/4 against West Indies in 2024.

The record-breaking total was built on a sensational opening partnership between Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, who stitched together 162 runs for the first wicket — the highest partnership by an Indian pair in Women’s T20Is for any wicket. This effort also surpassed their own earlier record of 143 runs, set against West Indies in 2019.

Mandhana played a classy knock of 80 runs, while Verma matched her aggression with a fluent 79. Their fearless strokeplay laid the perfect platform for a huge finish. After the openers departed in quick succession, Richa Ghosh (40)* and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (16)* provided late fireworks to push India past the 220 mark for the first time in the format.

During her innings, Mandhana achieved a historic milestone, becoming only the second Indian woman after Mithali Raj to complete 10,000 international runs. Reaching the landmark in her 280th match, she went past legends like Suzie Bates and Charlotte Edwards to become the fastest woman cricketer to do so.

Despite facing a daunting target, Sri Lanka showed admirable fight in the chase. Openers got them off to a flying start before skipper Chamari Athapaththu anchored the innings with a fighting 52. At one stage, the visitors were well placed at the halfway mark, but timely breakthroughs from the Indian bowlers shifted the momentum.

Young spinner Vaishnavi Sharma played a key role, picking up 2 for 24, while sharp fielding and disciplined bowling in the death overs ensured Sri Lanka finished on 191/6, falling 30 runs short of the target.

Speaking after being named Player of the Match, Mandhana reflected on the transition from ODIs to T20Is and praised the positive atmosphere within the squad. She highlighted the strong team culture that has developed over the past year, with players actively celebrating each other’s performances.

Both India and Sri Lanka are using the series as preparation for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to be held in England and Wales from June 12. India will begin their campaign against Pakistan on June 14, while Sri Lanka are set to face defending champions New Zealand on June 16.

The two sides will meet once again in the fifth and final T20I on December 30 in Thiruvananthapuram, with India already holding an unassailable 4–0 lead in the five-match series.