'It can relieve pressure' - Former Australia captain's advice to India ahead of Women's World Cup 2025

Former Australia captain Meg Lanning reflected on the challenges of playing a World Cup at home and highlighted why India’s opener against Sri Lanka on September 30 could set the tone for their campaign. India came into the tournament on the back of a 1-2 loss in a three-match ODI series, their final preparation before the marquee event.

The two-time Women’s Cricket World Cup winner stressed the importance of India beginning their campaign with a win, noting that a strong start would ease the pressure

and make their path smoother as the tournament progresses.

“I think it's a crucial game for them because it can almost release the pressure a little bit. 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. Because yeah, home World Cups, there'll be obviously a lot of pressure and expectation on them to do well. So, if they're able to set up their tournament really nicely by putting in a solid performance up front, then it makes it easier towards the back end,” Lanning said to Sanjana Ganesan on The ICC Review.

With the added emotion of a home campaign, Lanning noted the magnitude of the opening contest. This is the fourth time the ICC Women’s World Cup is being held in India, following the editions in 1978, 1997, and 2013. While India are yet to claim the trophy, they have finished as runners-up on two occasions, in 2005 and 2017.

“The first game of the World Cup and your home World Cup as well for India is always a really big and special moment. There's a really big build up so both sides will be looking to get off to a good start,” said Lanning.

Lanning also highlighted the battle between the spin attacks of both teams as a potentially decisive factor in the tournament opener. India boast a rich variety in the spin department, led by Deepti Sharma, with strong support from Sneh Rana, Radha Yadav, and Sree Charani.

For Sri Lanka, Inoka Ranaweera, with her vast experience, will lead the spin attack, supported by skipper Chamari Athapaththu, who adds variation and control with her off-spin. Alongside the experienced pair, Sugandika Dasanayaka will play a key role in their prospects, while young all-rounders Dewmi Vihanga and Kaveesha Dilhari provide additional depth to the attack with their off-spin.

“Both sides have got some very skillful bowlers in their spin attacks and that could play a really crucial role, not only in the first game but also throughout the tournament. They play against each other a lot, which sort of adds to the contest. But yeah, there's some really skillful players there,” Lanning noted.

With eight teams competing for four semi-final spots, the 33-year-old emphasised the importance of banking early points, even if performances are not flawless. Drawing on her own World Cup-winning experiences in 2013 and 2022, Lanning underlined that not every win needs to be perfect, just timely. India will begin their World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka in Guwahati on September 30.

“The group stages at World Cups are just about qualifying for the semis and so you don't need to play your best cricket but you do need to win. So, the key for the sides is to just be able to fight their way through. I think in every World Cup that I've played there was a game or two where we had to scrape our way through and get the win,” said Lanning.

“It certainly wasn't pretty but if you can actually just get those wins on board and then sort of try and get yourself together for the back end of the tournament, then that's how you win 50-over World Cups,” she concluded.