A collective batting performance from India helped it defeat Sri Lanka by 114 in the ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier in Colombo. India piled up runs after electing to bat on a good batting pitch and put up a total of 259 for four. In reply, Sri Lanka managed just 145 for eight in 50 overs in the Group A match at the P. Sara Oval.
India's women put behind their six-wicket loss to South Africa in a warm-up game with a solid top-order performance - Devika Vaidya, Deepti Sharma and Mithali Raj all scored half-centuries. Devika Vaidya top scored with 89 and opener Deepti Sharma scored 54, before prolific skipper Mithali Raj scored an unbeaten 70.
After getting off to a slow start, reaching 11 for one in seven overs, the left-handed pair of Devika and Deepti took control and put India on the road to a big score. The two 19-year-olds added 123 runs together for the second wicket. Vaidya, whose knock of 89 consisted of 11 fours and came off 103 balls in only her second One-Day International (ODI), was declared the player of the match. Deepti smashed four boundaries and a six in her 96-ball 54. Mithali then played herself in and accelerated for her 62-ball 70.
Batting enjoyed
For Sri Lanka, Hasini Perera (34) and Chamari Athapaththu (30) were the only ones to get notable scores. “It’s always good to start with a win. We had started slowly in the match but Devika and Deepti put up a useful partnership to help increase the run-rate. It was a good pitch to bat on and we enjoyed batting out there,” said Mithali.
In other matches, South Africa beat Pakistan by 63 runs at Nondescripts Cricket Club, Bangladesh beat Papua New Guinea by 118 runs at Colombo Cricket Club, and Ireland beat Zimbabwe by 119 runs at Mercantile Cricket Association.
Brief scores
India 259 for 4 in 50 overs (Devika Vaidya 89, Mithali Raj 70, Deepti Sharma 54; Udeshika Prabodhani 2 for 56) beat Sri Lanka 145 for 8 in 50 overs (Hasini Perera 34, Chamara Athapaththu 30) by 114 runs.
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