ICC Women’s World Cup
Date: 30 September 2025
Venue: Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati
Result: India Women beat Sri Lanka Women by 59 runs (DLS method) NDTV Sports+2mint+2
1. Pre-match Context
The opening match of the ICC Women’s World Cup always carries weight — toning expectations, setting momentum. India, with a balanced squad of experience and youth, were aiming to lay down a marker, while Sri Lanka looked to upset expectations on home soil. Rain threatened the match’s structure, which meant that both sides had to remain flexible with plans. mint+2Hindustan Times+2
2. Toss & Decision
Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bowl first, hoping to take advantage of early conditions and then chase under changing light or conditions. mint+2NDTV Sports+2
3. India Innings
Total: 269/8 in 47 overs (reduced by rain) Crictoday+3NDTV Sports+3mint+3
This innings was punctuated by dramatic swings:
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Sri Lanka’s spinner Inoka Ranaweera jolted the Indian lineup early, picking up 4 wickets for 46 runs and reducing India to 124/6. The Economic Times+3mint+3Crictoday+3
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At this challenging juncture, a revival came through a 103-run partnership between Amanjot Kaur (57 off 56 balls) and Deepti Sharma (53 off 53 balls). Their calm and constructive batting was pivotal to push India to a competitive total. Hindustan Times+4NDTV Sports+4Crictoday+4
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Other contributions: Sneh Rana added some late impetus with 28 (not out)* helping India make up crucial runs. mint+2The Economic Times+2
Fall of Wickets – India
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Smriti Mandhana — 14 (3.2 overs)
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Pratika Rawal — 81 (19.2 overs)
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Harleen Deol — 120 (25.1 overs)
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Jemimah Rodrigues — 120 (25.2 overs)
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Harmanpreet Kaur — 121 (25.5 overs)
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Richa Ghosh — 124 (26.6 overs)
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Amanjot Kaur — 227 (43.3 overs)
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Deepti Sharma — 269 (46.6 overs)
Crictoday+3Cricket World+3mint+3
4. Sri Lanka Innings (Chase)
Total: 211 all out in 45.4 overs NDTV Sports+3mint+3Crictoday+3
Sri Lanka’s chase began with promise but faltered under pressure:
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The top scorer was Chamari Athapaththu with 43 Cricket World+2Crictoday+2
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Nilakshi de Silva supported with 35 Cricket World+2Crictoday+2
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Other contributions were limited, and the Indian bowling attack, especially spinners, applied pressure steadily. mint+2The Economic Times+2
Key Indian Bowling Figures
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Deepti Sharma: 3 wickets for 54 runs mint+3Crictoday+3NDTV Sports+3
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Sneh Rana: 2/32 The Economic Times+2NDTV Sports+2
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Shree Charani: 2/37 mint+2The Economic Times+2
5. Match Result & Highlights
India clinched the match by 59 runs via DLS method. Crictoday+4NDTV Sports+4mint+4
Player of the Match:
Deepti Sharma, for her all-round contribution of 53 runs and 3 wickets. mint+3Crictoday+3NDTV Sports+3
Turning Point:
The recovering partnership between Amanjot and Deepti stopped Sri Lanka’s momentum and shifted the control back to India. The middle-order collapse looked ominous, but that stand rescued the innings.
Sri Lanka’s resistance fell short after those middle-order wickets, unable to keep pace with required run rate under mounting pressure.
6. What This Means & Looking Ahead
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For India, this victory is a strong opening statement in the World Cup — winning your first match sets confidence.
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Sri Lanka, meanwhile, will need to regroup and plan better in their upcoming matches — their top order and middle order consistency will be areas to work on.
If you like, I can also turn this into a match preview + prediction blog, or post-match analysis. Would you like me to write that too?