India Survives Scare to Win World Cup Opener
India launched its Women’s ODI World Cup campaign with a victory, but the comfortable 59-run margin on the scoreboard belied a turbulent performance that saw the hosts rescued from the brink of a catastrophic collapse by their exceptional all-rounders. A heroic lower-order fightback, led by Deepti Sharma and Amanjot Kaur, turned the tide after a disastrous middle-over period, while Sri Lanka was left to rue a series of costly fielding errors that gifted India a lifeline.
The Middle-Order Implosion
After being put in to bat in a rain-reduced 47-over contest, India’s innings was a tale of two distinct halves. The top order struggled to establish any real momentum against a disciplined, if not overly threatening, Sri Lankan attack. A cautious 67-run partnership between Pratika Rawal and Harleen Deol used up 96 deliveries, leaving the team in need of acceleration.
The innings then spectacularly imploded, triggered by the introduction of veteran left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera. In a devastating spell, she ripped through the heart of the Indian batting lineup, at one point claiming three wickets in a single over. India slumped from a stable 120 for 2 to a disastrous 121 for 5 in the space of five balls. When Richa Ghosh fell shortly after, the hosts were reeling at 124 for 6, with their World Cup campaign beginning in the worst possible fashion.
An All-Round Rescue Mission
With the innings in tatters, the rescue mission was mounted by the all-round duo of Deepti Sharma and Amanjot Kaur. They launched a remarkable counter-attack, putting together a match-defining 103-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Their effort was as much a story of resilience as it was of Sri Lankan ineptitude in the field. Amanjot Kaur was the beneficiary of shocking fielding, being dropped an incredible four times on her way to a crucial 57.
This partnership dragged India from a position of peril to one of security. Deepti compiled a composed run-a-ball 53, before Sneh Rana provided the finishing fireworks with a blistering 28 off just 15 balls. This late onslaught saw India plunder 34 runs from the final two overs, propelling them to an imposing total of 269 for 8 a score that had seemed impossible just an hour earlier.
Bowlers Seal a Deceptive Victory
The same players who had rescued the innings with the bat then returned to dismantle the Sri Lankan chase. Chasing a revised target of 271, Sri Lanka’s hopes rested on their dynamic captain, Chamari Athapaththu, who started aggressively. However, Deepti Sharma once again proved to be the game-changer, breaking the opening stand by clean-bowling Athapaththu for 43 with a perfectly executed yorker.
From there, the Indian bowlers tightened their grip. Amanjot Kaur trapped the other opener, while Sneh Rana delivered the day’s most economical spell. With wickets shared among all five frontline bowlers, Sri Lanka’s run rate faltered, and they were never able to mount a serious challenge, eventually being bowled out for 211. While the result was a dominant one, the performance served as both a celebration of India's depth and a stark warning about its middle-order fragility.
Tags: ICC Women's World Cup
