India off to a flier in World Cup qualifiers

Batting first after winning the toss, India piled on 259 runs for the loss of four wickets while Sri Lanka could only manage 145 in their 50 overs losing eight wickets. While three of the Indian batters crossed the 50-run mark, none of their Sri Lankan counterparts could pull off such an innings and in turn failed to put up any competition. 

Deepti Sharma along with Devika Vaidya built up the first big partnership by adding 123 for the second wicket. Deepti departed for a patient 54 while Devika emerged as the star of the innings, scoring 89 runs, in what was her second ODI. 

Skipper Mithali Raj backed the effort up with her 62-ball 70 as India crossed the 250run mark. Sri Lanka were off to a relatively slow start but they failed to register any big partnerships. They kept losing wickets at regular intervals and the middle-order did not contribute. Ekta Bisht and Rajeshwari Gayakwad both scalped two wickets each while Deepti got a solitary wicket. 

BRIEF SCORES: India 259/4 in 50 overs (Devika Vaidya 89, Mithali Raj 70*, Deepti Sharma 54) bt Sri Lanka 145/8 in 50 overs