Former Australia captain Meg Lanning has underlined the importance of India making a winning start to their ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 campaign at home, warning that early momentum could make or break their tournament.
Speaking on The ICC Review with Sanjana Ganesan, the two-time World Cup winner said India’s opening clash against Sri Lanka on 30 September in Guwahati would be “crucial” for calming nerves and setting the tone.
“First game can release the pressure”
Lanning reflected on the unique challenges of a home World Cup, where expectation and pressure can weigh heavily on players.
“If they can play a good solid game up front, get the win on the board, then I think that might just calm them down a little bit,” she said.
“Home World Cups always bring extra emotion, so setting up the tournament with a strong performance makes things easier later.”
India are still chasing their maiden Women’s World Cup crown, having come close in 2005 and 2017. The 2025 edition will be the fourth time the marquee event is staged in India, following tournaments in 1978, 1997 and 2013.
Spin battle could define opener
The former skipper pointed out that both India and Sri Lanka possess potent spin arsenals that could decide not only the opener but also the broader tournament.
India’s spin attack: Deepti Sharma (ICC ODI No. 7 bowler), Sneh Rana, Radha Yadav, and newcomer Sree Charani.
Sri Lanka’s spin attack: Inoka Ranaweera, skipper Chamari Athapaththu, Sugandika Dasanayaka, Dewmi Vihanga, and Kaveesha Dilhari.
“Both sides have got some very skillful bowlers, and that contest could be decisive,” Lanning noted.
“World Cups are about winning, not perfection”
With eight teams vying for four semi-final spots, Lanning stressed that collecting early points—even through scrappy wins—was critical.
“The group stages are just about qualifying for the semis. You don’t need to play your best cricket, but you do need to win,” she explained.
“In every World Cup I played, there were games where we just scraped through. It wasn’t pretty, but those wins are what count.”
India squad for ICC Women’s World Cup 2025
Main squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Yastika Bhatia, Renuka Singh Thakur, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud.
Reserves: Tejal Hasabnis, Prema Rawat, Priya Mishra, Uma Chetry, Minnu Mani, Sayali Satghare.
India face Sri Lanka on 30 September to begin their campaign.