Debut Spotlight: Vaishnavi Sharma Shines in India vs Sri Lanka T20I Opener

Young left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma made her T20I debut in India’s first match of a five-game home series against Sri Lanka on Sunday at the ACA-VDCA stadium in Visakhapatnam, becoming the 89th player to represent India in women’s T20Is.

Earlier this year, Vaishnavi was part of the victorious Indian Under-19 team at the Women’s T20 World Cup. She, along with G. Kamalini, also a member of the U-19 team, received their first senior team call-ups for this series.

At 20, Vaishnavi was the leading wicket-taker at the U-19 Women’s World Cup, claiming 17 wickets. She has also shown excellent form domestically, with 21 wickets in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy and leading with 12 scalps in five matches in the Senior Women’s Inter-Zonal T20s.

As the series commenced against the Lankans, India won the toss and chose to bowl. Vaishnavi nearly claimed her first international wicket when N. Shree Charani dropped a catch of Hasini Perera. Despite this, the Madhya Pradesh player finished as India’s most economical bowler, giving away only 16 runs in her four-over spell.

Published on December 21, 2025.