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The battle for supremacy in the five-match T20I series continues as India and Sri Lanka are at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam.
After a clinical eight-wicket victory on Sunday, the Women in Blue entered today’s match with the momentum of world champions but faced an unexpected hurdle at the toss. India once again won the coin flip and elected to field, looking to exploit the evening dew that played a significant role in the series opener. However, the biggest talking point of the evening arrived before the first ball was bowled, with the team sheets revealing a major absence in the Indian lineup. The hosts are forced to navigate this crucial fixture without their premier all-rounder Deepti Sharma, while a resilient Sri Lanka side has opted for stability in their quest for an equalizer.
Reason behind Deepti Sharma from IND-W vs SL-W 2nd T20I
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur confirmed that the world’s top-ranked bowler would miss the second T20I due to illness. Despite the setback, Harmanpreet remained confident in her squad’s depth, handing a comeback to fellow off-spinner Sneh Rana. India’s decision to bowl first mirrors their successful strategy from the first game, aiming to keep the target within reach before the pitch slows down. Harmanpreet addressed the lineup change during the toss, stating, “Deepti is not well today, she has a fever, so Sneh Rana comes back into the side.”
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu showed immense faith in her unit by naming an unchanged playing XI, despite their heavy loss on Sunday. Athapaththu emphasized the need for a mental shift rather than a personnel change, remarking, “We are going with the same XI. I am still confident in my team, we’ve backed a few youngsters and want to give them more opportunities. The key for us is to play positive cricket in the middle overs. In the last game we played a few shots behind square. Today, we want to play straighter – focus more on long-on and long-off, play to our strengths and build partnerships. Hopefully, our batters step up today.”
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A historic milestone: Deepti ascends to world number one
Meanwhile, in a moment of immense pride for Indian cricket, veteran all-rounder Deepti officially became the in the world for the first time in her illustrious career. The International Cricket Council (ICC) updated its rankings on Tuesday afternoon, rewarding Deepti for her consistent excellence and her match-defining spell in the series opener. Her economical figures of 1/20 in four overs on Sunday earned her the vital rating points needed to leapfrog Australia’s Annabel Sutherland.
Deepti now sits at the pinnacle with 737 rating points, narrowly leading Sutherland by a single point. This achievement follows a sensational 2025 season where she was also named the Player of the Tournament at the Women’s ODI World Cup. Reflecting on her growth, experts noted that her ability to stifle batters in the powerplay and provide breakthroughs at the death has made her the most feared off-spinner in the shortest format.
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