I sat on the edge of my seat when Sri Lanka won the toss; that is, captain Chamari Athapaththu made the right call by calling the toss and choosing to field first. The stakes were sky-high: a perfect start for India in this Women’s World Cup opener would ignite their campaign.
Match Summary & First Innings Highlights
From the first ball, I felt the tension; India’s openers Mandhana and Rawal took the new ball tentatively. Smriti Mandhana fell cheaply for 8 (10) when Udeshika Prabodhani caught her at deep point, leaving India 14/1.
Pratika Rawal and Harleen Deol then built a steady platform – Deol top-scored with 48 (64) as they shared a 67-run stand that eased the pressure. However, just as I thought India would romp to a big total, Sri Lanka fought back sharply.
Spinner Inoka Ranaweera ran through the middle order, wrapping Harleen (48) and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (21) in one lethal spell. A double-wicket over, including another nipped-away catch for Mandhana, saw India slump to 124/6.
It felt like India was hanging by a thread, but then Amanjot Kaur and Deepti Sharma showed why I believe this batting line-up is dangerous. Like two warriors rallying, Amanjot (57 off 56) and Deepti (53 off 53) put together a 103-run rescue stand for the seventh wicket.
Moreover, their partnership was a match-saving anchor. Amanjot thumped boundaries with controlled aggression, while Deepti played a serene half-century. Likewise, thanks to them, India recovered to a respectable 269/8 in 47 overs (reduced by rain).
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Second Innings Highlights & Result
Sri Lanka began their chase with intent, and Athapaththu led from the front. In the first 15 overs, she smashed 43 (47) – a fluent innings studded with fours and even three sixes – to put Sri Lanka at 82/2.
That brisk start got me excited: Sri Lanka seemed on course. But as the overs ticked by, India’s spinners took command.
I noticed Deepti Sharma using flight and turn to perfection – she uprooted Athapaththu’s stumps (caught off a beauty) and later bowled Kavisha Dilhari for 15. Sneh Rana and Shree Charani also spun webs, each grabbing a couple of wickets as Sri Lanka’s middle order crumbled.
By 22.3 overs, the Lankans were 103/3, but soon they were 173/7 by the 35th over. Moreover, Harshitha Samarawickrama (29) offered some resistance, but India tightened the screws with precision.
In the end, Sri Lanka never really challenged the required run rate and fell short, ending on 211 all out in 45.4 overs. The final moments were anticlimactic in a sense – Pratika Rawal bowled Inoka Ranaweera lbw on the last ball, sealing India’s victory.
The scoreboard read:
Team | Score | Overs | Result |
India Women | 269/8 | 47.0 ov | Set target (DLS adjusted) |
Sri Lanka Women | 211 all out | 45.4 ov | Lost by 59 runs (DLS method) |
When the bails were finally uprooted, it was a fairly comfortable win for India – the Duckworth-Lewis method only confirmed what was clear. In addition, I was relieved and proud to see India win by that 59-run margin, a margin established by that late stand and by that spin bowling.
Similarly, Deepti Sharma’s all-round effort (53 with the bat and 3/54 with the ball) swung the match decisively in India’s favor.
Key Statistics, Impact & Streaming
Player of the Match: Deepti Sharma – her unbeaten 53(53) and 3/54 were the story of the game. As I noted, she shone with her all-round abilities and earned MoM honours.
Top Performers:
Player | Batting | Bowling | Catches |
Amanjot Kaur | 57 (56) | – | 0 |
Deepti Sharma | 53 (53) | Mar-54 | 0 |
Sneh Rana | 10 (15) | Feb-32 | 0 |
Shree Charani | 13* (11) | Feb-37 | 0 |
Chamari Athapaththu | 43 (47) | 24-Jan | 0 |
- Tournament Impact: This win gives India 2 points and boosts their net run rate (reported at +1.503). In the small 8-team format, every victory counts; India’s strong start puts them atop the Group standings. Furthermore, Sri Lanka will now pull itself together to play their game next, and they have to recover fast.
- Where to Watch Women’s World Cup: For fans wanting replays or highlights, official ICC channels and broadcasters will have coverage. In India, the match was live on Star Sports/Disney+ Hotstar; internationally, platforms like Willow TV (USA), Sky Sports (UK), Fox Cricket (Aus) and ICC’s YouTube offer clips and full-match archives.
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