Crowds, Culture and Cricket: Notes from the Women’s World Cup trail

Cricket-loving locals in Sri Lanka found themselves in a mild dilemma as the Women’s World Cup made its first appearance on Lankan shores. With the entire tournament scheduled at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, opinion was split — delight at seeing a ‘major’ venue finally added to the roster (unlike India’s choice of tier-2 grounds) mixed with concern over how a 40,000-capacity stadium would look if the crowds didn’t show.

“Dambulla or Pallekele are better venues for women’s cricket. The Asia Cup, which Sri Lanka won last year, drew great crowds in Dambulla. But Colombo is the logistically convenient option for a multi-team event,” a few local reporters told the travelling pack on the sidelines of the Pakistan–Bangladesh fixture, played before near-empty stands.

Glitchy promotions and limited awareness weren’t the Diary’s only concerns. A motherboard failure in its work laptop caused a surge of panic on the eve of the much-anticipated India–Pakistan clash. Fortunately for the Diary, and unfortunately for host Sri Lanka and Australia, after a week of oppressive humidity, the heavens opened. The washout offered enough time to dash across the city in search of a fix.

The rain, and the merciful dip in humidity that followed, also allowed for an impromptu evening by the sea at Galle Face. The Diary has been conservative with its seafood choices, but a strikingly coffee-less cold coffee and a quick crash course on the area’s Dutch history managed to fill both stomach and soul.

At the India–Pakistan game, one’s seat dictated the experience. While ‘gesture-watch’ dominated the mood in the media box, the stands were a picture of easy enjoyment — spectators, mostly neutral fans looking to savour a pleasant Sunday evening of cricket, danced freely to Tamil, Hindi, and Sinhala hits. A mid-innings performance by an Emirates cabin-crew dance troupe left the audience amused. The crowd, a mix of academy players, local families, and expats, was loud, cheerful, and above all relieved that cricket, for once, did all the talking on and off the field.

Lavanya Lakshmi Narayanan

Festive lights, heavy hearts

The emotions were mixed ahead of the World Cup’s opening match in Guwahati. There was the excitement of hosting the biggest event in women’s cricket, and the city was alive with Durga Puja celebrations. Yet, beneath the festive mood lay a deep sense of mourning. Assam was grieving the tragic death of Zubeen Garg, who drowned while swimming in Singapore. One of the state’s greatest cultural icons, Garg had become a household name across India with his hit song Ya Ali from the 2006 Bollywood film Gangster.

His smiling face looked down from billboards all over Guwahati, and his music echoed in the tributes paid at the World Cup’s inaugural ceremony, held shortly before India’s opening match against Sri Lanka. Among the performers was Shreya Ghoshal, whose voice carried a fitting note of remembrance.

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Siddhartha Das was in for a surprise after finishing his net session at Guwahati’s Barsapara Cricket Stadium, where he had been bowling to the South African batters. A member of the visiting support staff approached him and handed over a pair of batting gloves.

It was a gift from South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt to Siddhartha, who had bowled some 50 deliveries to her as she prepared to face England’s spinners. “I have enjoyed watching her on TV,” said Siddhartha, a left-arm spinner and trainee at the Assam Cricket Association Academy. “She played a lot of cover drives and straight drives against me. And, of course, I am delighted that she has given me a pair of her gloves.”

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In the early days of the World Cup, a cab driver in Guwahati brought up India’s opening match against Sri Lanka. “India would have been in big trouble but for Deepti Sharma’s innings,” said Sajeevan, a driver from Kerala, referring to the off-spinning all-rounder’s rescue act with Amanjot Kaur that took India from a precarious 124 for six to what would become a match-winning total.

Listening to him brought to mind an interview with Smriti Mandhana in Jaipur about six years ago. The elegant opener had said, “Earlier, people would say that the off-spinner bowled well. Now they say Deepti Sharma bowled well.”

P.K. Ajith Kumar

Garba night with a twist

A trip to Indore, set against the backdrop of Navratri, offered the perfect opportunity for the Diary to witness its first Garba celebration, and it proved a memorable one.

A hesitant enquiry by this reporter, on the eve of the Women’s ODI World Cup match between Australia and New Zealand at the Holkar Stadium, was all it took for the venue manager and a few local journalists to make some calls and secure a ticket.

The destination was the Taal Garba Mahotsav, held at a school sports complex just across the street.

As the night wore on and the tempo of the synchronised steps quickened, the synergy and energy in the performance evoked amusement and wide-eyed wonder. 

Madhya Pradesh’s very own and Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer making his way to the dais to give away the prizes was a delightful surprise that capped off the night for this cricket correspondent.

Sankar Narayanan E.H.

Published on Oct 06, 2025