India kicked off their 2025 Women’s World Cup campaign in style with a hard-fought 49-run victory over Sri Lanka (DLS method) in the tournament opener at Guwahati. After slipping to a precarious 124/6, fifties from Amanjot Kaur and Deepti Sharma, along with a late onslaught by Sneh Rana, propelled India to a competitive 269/8 in 47 overs. Sri Lanka, chasing a revised target of 271, were bowled out for 211, giving the hosts a solid start in Group A.
India's whimsical batting order
India’s innings got off to a shaky start after Sri Lanka opted to field, with Smriti Mandhana falling cheaply. Pratika Rawal and Harleen Deol then took on the responsibility of stabilizing the side, but their 67-run stand for the second wicket lacked momentum. The Sri Lankan spinners controlled proceedings with tight lines, restricting boundaries and building pressure, which led to wickets falling in clusters.
The breakthrough for Sri Lanka came when Inoka Ranaweera, the standout bowler, dismissed Rawal in the 20th over before wreaking havoc in the 26th. In a game-changing spell, she picked up Harleen, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Harmanpreet Kaur in quick succession to rip through India’s top and middle order. Richa Ghosh was soon sent back by Chamari Athapaththu, leaving India in serious trouble with the scoreboard reflecting their collapse.
India found a much-needed revival through Amanjot and Deepti, who absorbed the pressure and put together a century stand. Their composed batting featured steady strike rotation, patience, and timely acceleration, which not only took India beyond 200 but also exposed the lapses in Sri Lankan fielding. Both batters reached deserved half-centuries, with Amanjot playing the standout knock of the tournament’s opening half-century. Rana then provided the finishing spark with a quickfire cameo, smashing boundaries in the final overs and propelling India’s total further with 34 runs coming off the last two overs.
Sri Lanka's dry and dull chase
Sri Lanka began their chase confidently with Chamari Athapaththu and Hasini Perera finding boundaries at regular intervals, including a six from Athapaththu over point off Kranti Gaud. However, Gaud struck back soon after by bowling Perera, ending the 30-run opening stand. Harshitha Samarawickrama then injected momentum with an aggressive approach, striking three boundaries in a single over off Amanjot. With 45 runs on the board in just nine overs, Sri Lanka enjoyed a strong start in the powerplay. Athapaththu then looked to dominate Deepti Sharma, smashing two sixes and two fours off her opening overs, before Deepti had her bowled for 43 to hand India a vital breakthrough.
The dismissal of the skipper triggered a slowdown as India’s bowlers, spearheaded by Rana, applied pressure relentlessly. The boundaries dried up, and wickets began to tumble, with Harshitha Madavi falling leg-before to Shree Charani while Amanjot trapped Vishmi Gunaratne in front. Though Kavisha Dilhari and Nilakshi de Silva attempted to steady the chase with some much-needed boundaries, Deepti’s second spell proved decisive as she removed Kavisha and Anushka Sanjeewani, reducing the hosts to 140 for 6.
Nilakshi fought hard to keep Sri Lanka in the contest and benefitted from a reprieve, but her resistance came to an end when Rana bowled her attempting a reverse paddle sweep. Rana then added the dismissal of Achini Kulasuriya to her tally before Pratika Rawal struck the final blow, trapping Inoka Ranaweera leg-before. Despite Sri Lanka’s promising start, India’s disciplined bowling unit ensured a comfortable victory, overcoming the early onslaught with a controlled and clinical performance.
Brief scores: India 269/8 in 47 overs (Amanjot Kaur 57, Deepti Sharma 53; Inoka Ranaweera 4-46, Udeshika Prabodhani 2-55) beat Sri Lanka 211 in 45.4 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 43, Nilakshi de Silva 35; Deepti Sharma 3-54, Sneh Rana 2-32) by 59 runs (DLS method).