Indore, Oct 20 After a narrow four-run loss to England in a crucial 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup match at the Holkar Stadium, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said Smriti Mandhana’s dismissal was the turning point in a chase that had looked well in control. The defeat leaves India’s campaign hanging by a thread.
India were cruising at 234/3 before Smriti fell to Linsey Smith for 88 and from there, a familiar collapse meant they finished four runs short of chasing 289. “I think Smriti's wicket was something which was a turning point for us and I still think we had too many batters. I don't know how things went the other way, but credit goes to England. They didn't lose. They kept bowling well and kept getting wickets there,” said Harmanpreet at the conclusion of the game.
The feeling of faltering in the final stretch was too hard to swallow for Harmanpreet. “It is bad because you have put in so much hard work and you kept ticking the box till the end, but last 5-6 overs didn't go according to your plan. That's the worst but definitely it's a very heartbreaking moment.”
“We are playing good cricket, we are not giving up. But that last line we have to cross now because it's been the last three games where we showed up with good cricket. But unfortunately ended up on the losing side and hopefully the next game is very important for us and we'll cross that line,” she said.
She also lauded India’s bowling effort, particularly in restricting England to 288/8 on a fast-scoring ground. “Our bowlers did a really good job because when Nat and Heather were batting, they were looking really good. And we thought if we can get them to less than 300, that's a plus for us because this pitch and the ground is very fast and we can chase, that's why we wanted to bowl first. A lot of things we did right. But again, last five overs, something which again we need to, as a group, sit together and rethink.”
On the question of team composition, especially on leaving out Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet remained firm. “These things will keep going because I think things were under control when Smriti and I were batting. And I think Smriti's wicket was turning for us. But still, we had Richa, Amanjot and Deepti, who have won games for us in the past. But unfortunately, today we were not able to make it.”
With India now on a three-match losing streak, Thursday’s clash against New Zealand in Navi Mumbai becomes a virtual knockout. “It was a very important match for all of us. We wanted to show good cricket as a group. And unfortunately, in the end, we were not able to make it. Even though we ended up losing, we really played good cricket and we haven't given anyone anything easily. But now the next game is very important and hopefully it will go our way,” concluded Harmanpreet.
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