Amanjot, Deepti fifties rescue India after middle-order collapse

Guwahati, Sep 30 (PTI) Amanjot Kaur displayed character and grit under pressure in her maiden Women's World Cup match as she teamed up with veteran Deepti Sharma to lift India from a precarious position and post a challenging 269 for eight against Sri Lanka in the tournament opener here on Tuesday.

India were in deep trouble at 124/6, having lost four wickets in two overs, when the 24-year-old from Mohali, Amanjot, walked into the middle. The innings saw multiple rain breaks, reducing the contest to 47 over a side.

Alongside senior partner Deepti Sharma (53 off 53 ), Amanjot (57 off 56) rebuilt the innings with a 103-run partnership off 99 balls.

From the start, Amanjot showed remarkable composure, rotating the strike and punishing loose deliveries. She also survived three reprieves -- dropped on 18, 37, and 50 -- as the inexperienced Sri Lankan fielders struggled to hold onto chances.

She brought up her maiden World Cup half-century off just 45 balls, featuring five fours and a towering six, blending aggression with control to keep India afloat.

Senior batter Deepti anchored the other end and completed her 16th WODI fifty in the process.

Sneh Rana also put on a fine cameo of 28 not out from 15 balls with with two fours and two sixes to prop up the total.

Title favourites and playing at home, India had a terrible start to their tournament campaign, as Sri Lanka caught them by surprise, reducing them to 124/6 with a devastating spell from left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera.

The 39-year-old Inoka ripped through the Indian middle order, snaring three wickets in five balls -- a well-set Harleen Deol (48), Jemimah Rodrigues (0) and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (21) -- to leave India reeling.

Adding to the collapse, Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu dismissed Richa Ghosh in another shocker, as the Indians looked rusty and short on application, losing four wickets for just four runs.

Following an 80-minute rain delay after the 10th over, Ranaweera had earlier struck in her very first over, removing well-set opener Pratika Rawal, who looked solid but played too many dot balls. PTI TAP BS BS