India beat Sri Lanka — hosts recover from collapse to win opener

India beat Sri Lanka by 59 runs (DLS) in a rain-affected opening match of the Women’s World Cup in Guwahati. The hosts staged a brilliant comeback after a middle-order collapse, posting 269-8 from 47 overs and then bowling Sri Lanka out for 211 in the 46th over under the revised target.

Three overs were lost to rain. The revised target was 271 from 47 overs, and India defended it in front of a record group-game crowd of 22,843.

Scorecard snapshot

India 269-8 (47 overs): Amanjot 57 (56); Ranaweera 4-46
Sri Lanka 211 (45.4 overs): Athapaththu 43 (47); Sharma 3-54
Result: India won by 59 runs (DLS)

Middle-order rescue defined the match

India slipped to 124-6 after a stunning mini-collapse. Sri Lanka spinner Inoka Ranaweera triggered the slide, taking three wickets in the 26th over. India then lost four wickets for four runs inside 11 balls and looked in trouble.

Amanjot Kaur and Deepti Sharma combined to steady the innings. Their seventh-wicket partnership added 103 runs, turning the game back toward India. Amanjot was dropped four times on her way to 57 from 56 balls, while Sharma finished with a composed 53 from the last ball of the innings. Sneh Rana provided late fire with 28 from 15 balls.

Bowling and fielding gave India control

Deepti Sharma backed up her half-century with strong bowling, finishing with figures of 3-54. Sneh Rana and Shree Charani chipped in with 2-32 and 2-37 respectively. India’s bowlers tightened after the early overs of Sri Lanka’s reply, and Sri Lanka collapsed to 140-6 before being bowled out for 211.

Chamari Athapaththu led Sri Lanka with 43 from 47 balls and had a second-wicket stand of 52 with Harshitha Samarawickrama that kept the visitors in the contest early on. But after Athapaththu’s dismissal at the end of the 15th over, Sri Lanka struggled to rebuild.

Sharma shines as India dominate

Deepti Sharma was a central figure for India with both bat and ball. Her key breakthrough came when she bowled Athapaththu, a turning point that swung momentum back to the hosts. Her all-round display helped calm the crowd and secure the win.

India’s batting early on looked rocky. Smriti Mandhana fell for eight, and Pratika Rawal and Harleen Deol were contained initially. A burst of wickets — including Jemimah Rodrigues bowled and Harmanpreet Kaur caught behind — put Sri Lanka on top. But India’s lower order answered the call.

Amanjot’s resilience, despite being dropped multiple times, proved decisive. By the time Sri Lanka completed the final catch in the 44th over, the game had slipped from their grasp.

Crowd, context and what’s next

The match drew 22,843 spectators, a record for a Women’s World Cup group game, and provided India with a morale-boosting start and a healthy net run-rate advantage. The win is a confidence-builder as India chase their first World Cup title in either format.

The tournament continues with defending champions Australia facing New Zealand in Indore, while England open against South Africa on Friday.

Reactions after the match

Alex Hartley (former England spinner): “India have started really nicely. There are some cracks there; they did panic when Smriti Mandhana got out early but it was still a comprehensive win. Sri Lanka have certainly got more to improve on, however.”

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur: “It wasn’t an easy game. We know every game is important and will be high pressure. In the middle overs our batters managed well despite losing wickets. That was outstanding to watch and overall it was good game for us. All of our girls came together to win this.”

Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu: “We executed our plans but we dropped a couple of wickets – Amanjot Kaur was disappointing to drop. We made a few mistakes and that has cost us the game.”

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