The much-anticipated 13th edition of the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, 2025, marks its return to Indian soil after 12 years, having last hosted the tournament in 2013. Sri Lanka, acting as a neutral venue for the matches featuring Pakistan. The tournament opener witnessed a battle between Harmanpreet Kaur’s India and Chamari Athapaththu’s Sri Lanka, both the hosts of the tournament, facing off against each other at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.
The youngsters, Kranti Goud and Shree Charani, got the nod ahead of the experienced individuals Renuka Singh Thakur and Radha Yadav in the starting 11 for the home side. Sri Lanka went with an opposite strategy, banking on the experience of Udeshika Prabodhani and other veterans ahead of their promising youth in the squad to start in the 11.
Lower-order resilience bails India out, after a middle-order collapse
The ever-reliant Indian openers, Pratika Rawal and Smriti Mandhana, took their time to soak in the atmosphere of the home crowd and settle those early nerves of a home World Cup, after the Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu won the toss and opted to bowl first. India lost their in-form vice-captain, Smriti Mandhana, courtesy of a mistimed shot in the 4th over of the innings. Udeshika Prabodhani provided the first breakthrough for Sri Lanka, a massive setback for the home side.
Harleen Deol got another opportunity at number 3, joining Pratika Rawal at the crease. The duo was on their way to rebuilding the innings when the rains arrived just after the conclusion of the powerplay, with India at 43/1. The rain interval was long enough to reduce the game to a 48-over-per-side contest. Harleen and Pratika had to restart their innings, with the pair taking them closer to the 100-run mark, with a much-needed 67-run partnership for the 2nd wicket.
Inoka Ranaweera broke the stand, by sending a dangerous Pratika Rawal (37 off 59 balls) back to the pavilion in the 20th over of the innings to provide the crucial 2nd breakthrough for her side. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur joined Harleen Deol at the crease, and she wasted absolutely no time getting going with a couple of confident boundaries. Harleen Deol (48 off 64 balls), after getting used to the conditions on offer, and just as she was switching gears, she threw it away, gifting a dolly to Kavisha Dilhari at extra cover. She fell two runs short of her half-century.
Her departure provided the ideal opening that Sri Lanka was looking for. The visitors did exactly that via Inoka Ranaweera as she struck thrice in the 26th over of the innings, removing an ominous Harmanpreet Kaur (21 off 19 balls) and Jemimah Rodrigues for a golden duck in her debut ODI World Cup game for India. The home side was reduced to 124/6 in the 27th over of the innings.
Amanjot Kaur joined Deepti Sharma at the crease, and the duo showed remarkable resilience and character, leading India’s fightback with a massive and a potentially game-defining 103-run partnership for the 7th wicket. A brief rain delay en route to the partnership further reduced the game to 47 overs per side. The partnership got the home side believing again in posting a strong total on the board.
Amanjot Kaur (57 off 56 balls) also registered her maiden half-century in the format on her debut game in the ODI World Cup for India. A stunning catch from Vishmi Gunaratne at the fence ended Amanjot’s stay at the crease. A Sri Lankan fielder finally managed to grab a screamer on the 5th attempt, sending her back into the pavilion.
Lower-order fireworks from Sneh Rana (28* off 15 balls) took India’s total closer to the 270-run mark. Deepti Sharma (53 off 53 registered her 16th ODI half-century, ensuring to keep the scoreboard ticking. India posted a total of 269/8 in their allotted 47 overs. Inoka Ranaweera (9-0-46-4) and Udeshika Prabodhani (10-1-55-2) were the stand-out performers with the ball for Sri Lanka.
Sri Lankan top-order effort in vain as India registers comprehensive win
Chasing a revised total of 271, the Sri Lankan top-order kept them ahead in the contest, taking calculated risks. Openers Hasini Perera and skipper Chamari Athapaththu started things off with an encouraging 30-run opening stand. Youngster Kranti Goud provided the 1st breakthrough for India, sending Hasini Perera (14 off 20 balls) back to the pavilion in the 7th over of the innings.
Harshitha Samarawickrama and skipper Chamari Athapaththu counter-attacked the Indian bowlers en route to their vital 52-run stand for the 2nd wicket. Just when the Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu (43 off 47 balls) decided to put Deepti Sharma under pressure with 4 boundaries in her first couple of overs, the Indian off spinner had the last laugh as she cleaned her up in the 15th over of the run chase to provide a massive 2nd breakthrough for India.
After the departure of their skipper, the Sri Lankan batters struggled to form another substantial stand to get them ahead of the required rate. They kept losing wickets at regular intervals and, as a result, were eventually bundled out for 211, with 8 balls to spare. As a result, falling 59 runs short of the target. A counterattacking 25-run stand for the 5th wicket between Kavisha Dilhari (15 off 12 balls) and Nilakshika Silva (35 off 29 balls), and a promising 33-run stand for the 7th wicket between Nilakshika Silva and Sugandika Kumari, threatened a twist in the tale. However, it wasn’t to be for the visitors. Harshitha Samarawickrama (29 off 45 balls) played her part with the bat for Sri Lanka.
Deepti Sharma (10-1-54-3), Sneh Rana (10-0-32-2), Shree Charani (8-0-37-2), and Kranti Goud (9-0-41-1) were the superstars with the ball for India. Deepti Sharma was awarded the Player of the Match for her impressive all-round show. She scored a vital 53 (53 balls), leading the rescue act with Amanjot Kaur and returning with match figures (10-1-54-3) in her spell with the ball. She also became the first Indian woman to score a half-century and pick three wickets with the ball in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup.
India started their campaign on a high with a comprehensive win, setting the tone for a promising campaign, eyeing their maiden ICC title at the senior level.
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