India Women Triumph Over Sri Lanka in ODI Tri-Series Opener

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The India women’s cricket team defeated Sri Lanka by nine wickets in the opening match of the Women’s ODI Tri-Series on April 27, 2025. The match, held at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, showcased India’s batting strength as they chased down a target of 148 with 9.2 overs remaining.

Sri Lanka, despite a promising start at 54 for 1, collapsed to 147 all out, losing their last nine wickets for just 93 runs. Left-arm spinner Sneh Rana led the Indian attack with impressive figures of 3 for 31, while Deepti Sharma contributed with 2 for 22.

Player of the Match, Pratika Rawal, scored an unbeaten 50 runs off 62 balls, while Harleen Deol and Smriti Mandhana added 48 and 43 runs, respectively. Mandhana was particularly aggressive in her approach, striking the ball well against Sri Lanka’s seamers before eventually falling to Inoka Ranaweera.

The match was initially reduced to 39 overs per side following morning rains, but India’s batting lineup adapted quickly. Rawal initiated a solid partnership with Mandhana, guiding India toward their target effectively.

Sri Lanka’s innings was marred by a series of unfortunate dismissals that began with Hasini Perera’s lbw to Rana. The collapse continued as a critical running mix-up resulted in Harshitha Samarawickrama’s wicket, exposing their fragile middle order.

“Our bowlers set the tone with an excellent spell, and our batsmen capitalized on that,” said India captain Harmanpreet Kaur after the match. “We need to continue this momentum throughout the series.”

Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu acknowledged their struggles: “We started well but couldn’t maintain the pace. We need to work on our batting resilience.”

This victory comes as India prepares for the Women’s ODI World Cup later this year, reinforcing their dominance with a strong performance in the series opener.