SL-W vs IND-W 2nd ODI: Records tumble as Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma stitch unbeaten 174-run opening stand

After winning the T20I series 2-1, the Indian women's team took a 2-0 lead in the ODI series against Sri Lanka by beating the home side by 10 wickets at the Pallekele Cricket Stadium on Monday. The Wome in Blue thrashed Sri Lanka with 24.2 overs to go. A four-wicket haul by Renuka Singh Thakur followed by a record-opening stand between Smriti Mandhana (94 not out) and Shafali Verma (71 not out) helped India women romp to a comprehensive victory.

Another strong bowling performance by India has helped them bowl out Sri Lanka for 173 in the second ODI.

Scorecard: https://t.co/VMYYwZcCwp

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India's opening pair scored 174 runs in just 25. 4 overs. With this opening stand, Mandhana and Varma became only the third pair of women's cricketers to secure a 100+ partnership in all three formats of the game. Earlier, Thirush Kamini-Punam Raut and Meg Lanning-Rachael Haynes achieved this milestone. India's talismanic opening duo had put century stands in T20I and Test many times. This was also India's fifth-highest partnership in WODIs and the highest ever against Sri Lanka. 

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur was all praise for the opening pair. "We have been talking about long partnerships and thankfully we got it today. I'm happy with the way we batted, it was outstanding to watch," said the Indian skipper. 

Renuka Singh who was named Player of the Match said, "I am working on my strengths and working on my variations. I am hitting the hard lengths which are helping me here. We decided to bowl first looking at the overcast weather. We thought the conditions will help us. I was told to stick to my strengths."