Smriti Mandhana did not mince her words while expressing disappointment over India’s 4-run defeat against England in the 19th match of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025.
Batting first, England made a competitive score of 288/8 in the allotted 50 overs. Former captain Heather Knight once again impressed with the bat, scoring 109 runs in 91 balls with the help of 15 fours and one six. Opener Amy Jones also performed well with the bat and gave a good start to her team by scoring 56 runs.
India faced a heart-breaking defeat
In reply, India ended its innings at 284/6. After losing two wickets for just 42 runs, India managed to recover thanks to a 125-run partnership between Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur. At 167/2 in the 31st over, India looked to be winning the match.
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This partnership broke due to Harmanpreet’s dismissal on 70 runs. After this, Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma further strengthened India’s position by adding 67 runs for the fourth wicket. When Mandhana was out for 88 runs in the 42nd over, India’s score was 234/4 and it seemed that the match would be won.
However, the Women in Blue failed to take advantage of their strong position and ultimately fell behind by four wins. This was India’s third consecutive defeat in the tournament. Although they are still in the race for the semi-finals, they cannot afford any more misses in their remaining matches.
Smriti Mandhana blames herself for India’s defeat:
Speaking at the end of the match, Smriti Mandhana blamed herself for India’s failure to chase the target. The Indian opener said it was his wicket that helped England claw back into the match as he expressed his disappointment at the defeat.
“Yes, definitely. I mean, we lost and everyone saw it. I think our shot selection could have been better at that stage. Especially since it started with me, I take responsibility for it; my shot selection should have been better,” Mandhana said in the post-match press conference.
“We just needed six runs per over and maybe we should have tried to take the game deeper. So, yes, I will take it on myself because the collapse started with me,” she said.
It’s too soon now that we have met – Smriti Mandhana
Mandhana looked completely broken after the defeat. The camera captured him struggling to hold back his tears when India were in a strong position in the match. Speaking further, he said that the team needs to quickly move on from the defeat and focus on the upcoming match against New Zealand.
“It’s too early now that we have met. But nothing comes easy in cricket. Of course, the next match will be a virtual quarter-final in terms of finishing in the top four. But yes, you don’t play cricket for easy days. We will all take it in our stride,” Mandhana said.
