GUWAHATI: Goosebumps, tears, holding gamuchas (Assamese traditional towel) with tributes on Zubeen Garg written on them. The songs of his were sung by Papon , Joy Barua, the Shillong Chamber Choir — all slow and solemn — as the Opening Ceremony of the Women's World Cup here on Tuesday began in an emotionally charged atmosphere.
The entire stadium stood in silence still recuperating from the sudden demise of the regions greatest music icon. There is no Zubeen but his voice remains like an invisible force that's binding the people of the entire region together. The beauty of an artist's ability to transcend the normal and render justice to the highest form of art was visible in every corner of the stadium. On Maha Ashtami (of Durga Puja) day, considered the most auspicious of the festival, there was a sizeable crowd. The heat and humidity together were oppressive, but soon the tributes and the emotions gave way for a good cricket match.
It was a contest that had it all. Early wicket for Sri Lanka, who won the toss and opted to bowl, multiple rain interruptions (overs got reduced to 48 first, and 47 later) followed by a bit of stagnation from the Indian batters, before Inoka Ranaweera created magic. The spinner took three wickets in an over, including that of Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur, reducing India to 121/5. Soon, Richa Ghosh fell and India were in tatters.
With the pitch remaining under covers because of the rain, it assisted the spinners. The ball was not stopping as such, but the surface began to offer sharp turn, which even with a wet ball, Sri Lanka took advantage of.
Things looked gloomy when Amanjot Kaur joined Deepti Sharma in the middle. It seemed like India were going to get off to a disaster start yet again. It wasn't all that long ago — 2024 T20 WC — one such defeat against New Zealand handed India a deadly blow. For a while, it seemed like that was going to happen again, especially when Amanjot top-edged Kavisha Dilhari. However, this time the luck had turned towards India. Achini Kulasuriya dropped a sitter, and Amanjot lived to fight. She continued to take the attack to Sri Lanka — two more drop catches came in handy — while Deepti held fort at the other end.
Such was the revival act from the duo that they continued to score at more than run-a-ball, and slowly, but steadily, India marched past the 200-run mark. And every boundary of course was cheered on with the chants of 'jai Zubeen da'. Despite last-minute overtures to attract a full house, the stadium had spaces to fill. But overall it was a good crowd on Maha Ashtami day, who enjoyed not just the Indian duo's rescue act, but also Shreya Ghoshal's rendition of Zubeen Da songs.
The crowd egged on for every small milestone, and soon, Amanjot got her half-century. Coming back after a injury lay-off, playing her first-ever WC match, Amanjot played fearlessly, took on risks and dug India out of a hole. It helped that she had a solid partner in Deepti who too did not get bogged down. The left-hander kept up a brisk scoring rate, and along with Amanjot, she added 103 runs from 99 balls before the latter fell for 57 (56). Sneh Rana came in like a breath of fresh air and gave India the much-needed final push.
The senior all-rounder smashed an unbeaten 17-ball 28, taking the co-hosts to 269/8 in 50 overs. Deepti finished with 53 in as many balls as the three all-rounders dug the Women in Blue out of a hole and took them to a comfortable total. If not for the dropped catches, Ranaweera (4/46) could have had her fifer.
The battle, however, was not over. India knew the task is cut out for them, with Chamari Athapaththu being their biggest threat. And for at least an hour into the chase, it seemed so with the Sri Lankan captain cruising towards her fifty. Once Deepti got her out, Sri Lanka fell apart, crumbling to 130/5. And once again, it was the off-spinning all-rounder, along with Rana and Amanjot, who led the way. Amanjot dismissed the promising Vishmi Gunaratne, while Deepti and Rana ran through the middle-order. The Uttar Pradesh all-rounder finished with 3/54, playing an all-round role in India getting across the line.
The first match of the World Cup is considered crucial. Usually, the home teams would want to avoid upsets and begin the campaign on a negative note. But India's all-rounder trio rose to the occasion and said not today.
Brief scores: India 269/8 in 47 ovs (Amanjot Kaur 57, Deepti Sharma 53; Inoka Ranaweera 4/46) bt Sri Lanka 211 in 45.3 ovs (Chamari Athapaththu 43, Deepti Sharma 3/54) by 59 runs (DLS)
