Deepti Sharma’s Epic All-Round Show
When India Faltered, Deepti Sharma and Amanjot Kaur Steadied The Ship in Batting
Three things to remember from India’s opening match against Sri Lanka in the Women’s World Cup
In the World Cup opener, India Women defeated Sri Lanka by 59 runs (DLS) thanks to the partnership between Amanjot Kaur and Deepti Sharma and Deepti’s spin.
In Guwahati, India, Women began their 2025 World Cup campaign with a 59-run (DLS) victory over Sri Lanka on a day marked by history, festivity, and the embracing of nature.
A noisy and lively crowd at the ACA Stadium witnessed Harmanpreet Kaur’s team withstand a serious scare from the blazing spell of experienced spinner Inoka Ranaweera.
Amanjot Kaur and Deepti Sharma’s pivotal combination helped India reach a manageable score before the bowlers, led by Deepti’s three-wicket haul, completed the triumph.
Disciplined Beginning, Ranaweera’s fire spell
Sri Lanka’s choice to bowl first was immediately successful. The fielders supported the bowlers by cutting off easy singles, while the bowlers kept tight lines, rarely leaving the stumps. Smriti Mandhana took the bait when Udeshika Prabodani gave him the smallest width, trying to loft one over cover, and left for eight in the fourth over.
Then the true twist appeared. In her fourth over, the 26th of India’s innings, Inoka Ranaweera tightened the screws. The veteran spinner put Sri Lanka in control by dismissing captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Harleen Deol in five deliveries.
Lost Chances
India was all at sea at 124 for six, and the Sri Lankans saw an opportunity to strengthen their hold. However, India was able to stabilise itself when Chamari Athapaththu’s team lost rhythm while attempting to make another breakthrough.
In order to turn the tide back in India’s advantage, Amanjot Kaur and Deepti Sharma grabbed the opportunity and added 103 for the seventh wicket. While Deepti cleverly anchored, Amanjot, who had been sidelined due to an injury, counterpunched with intensity. Before Sneh Rana’s quick appearance provided India a late boost, both reached their fifties.
Off-spin Pair Shines
Assigned to lead Sri Lanka’s pursuit, Athapaththu soon established her rhythm and easily penetrated the Indian attack.
Even before the PowerPlay was over, Harmanpreet resorted to her go-to off-spinners, Sneh Rana and Deepti Sharma, after sensing danger. As they bowled together, they teased and probed, trying to figure out how to get past the captain.
Athapaththu was forced to target Deepti by Sneh’s sparse, boundary-less overs, and she waited patiently before hitting gold. Athapaththu swung hard at a full, fast delivery off the last ball of the fifteenth over, missed it entirely, and her stumps were shaken. The trap had performed flawlessly.
The rest of Sri Lanka’s innings fell apart. Although Nilakshika de Silva managed to keep the chase going, any genuine prospect of victory was snuffed away by the several wickets that fell.
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ICC Announces 2025 Women’s Cricket World Cup Schedule
Today’s Match
Who wins the Trans-Tasman showdown at #CWC25? 🏏
All the broadcast details are available here 📺 https://t.co/K8GGSGnW9R pic.twitter.com/Q211bLqnGd
— ICC (@ICC) October 1, 2025
The second match of the prestigious tournament will be played at Indore between defending champion Australia and New Zealand. The match will start at 3:00 pm IST. This match is going to be very interesting as both teams are pretty strong and have multiple match winners and star players.
Points Table
After the first match, between Sri Lanka and India, the points table looks like this. India is on top after winning the match and has gained 2 points with a Net Run Rate of 1.255. While Sri Lanka’s Net Run Rate is negative. We all understand the significance of Net Run Rate in such big tournaments.
