September 30, 2025: The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup kicked off with an exciting start as co-hosts Sri Lanka landed an early blow against India in the opening match. After being put in to bat, India lost the crucial wicket of star opener Smriti Mandhana, putting the team under immediate pressure. After six overs, India were 24 for the loss of one wicket.
Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu won the toss and elected to field first, a decision she attributed to her confidence in the bowling unit and the likelihood of dew in the second innings. In response, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur stated her team’s intention was to post a competitive total on what looked to be a good pitch.
The decision to bowl paid dividends for Sri Lanka when pacer Udeshika Prabodhani dismissed the in-form Mandhana. Attempting a big shot on the off-side, Mandhana was caught at deep point. Following her departure, opener Pratika Rawal was joined at the crease by Harleen Deol, who sought to counter-attack by hitting two quick boundaries to ease the pressure.
India, ranked third in the world, entered the tournament with a powerful batting lineup featuring Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Richa Ghosh. The return of Renuka Singh strengthens their pace attack, complemented by the experienced spin duo of Deepti Sharma and Sneh Rana.
Sri Lanka, returning to the World Cup after missing the 2022 edition, will be heavily reliant on the performance of their captain, Chamari Athapaththu.
