Team India kicked off the series with a solid four-wicket victory in the first match at Southampton but was handed an eight-wicket defeat in a rain-affected encounter at Lord’s on Saturday night. Aside from vice-captain Smriti Mandhana’s 42 and Deepti Sharma’s unbeaten 30, no other Indian player could put up significant resistance against the England bowlers, as India finished with just 143/8 in 29 overs.
Following the 8-wicket defeat, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana addressed the press, reflecting on the team’s performance and the challenges they faced. When asked about the gloomy conditions, the prolific opener acknowledged that it’s always challenging to regain focus after such a long rain delay, noting that the break had been particularly lengthy. However, she mentioned that it was a test for the team and could prove to be helpful in the long run.
She further added, “I think as a batting unit, we couldn’t adapt to the conditions quickly. We tried to play some shots which were maybe not, like, it was not easy on these sorts of wickets, especially Lord’s.” The opener also said that getting runs at Lord’s is always a grind, and her team will return after taking some crucial lessons.
On the young team, she mentioned, “A lot of girls played here for the first time. The excitement was quite high. So, I’m sure a lot of people took a lot of memories and, of course, a lot of learning as well.”
While asked about the evolution of women’s cricket, the vice-captain of Team India said, “It’s been a journey since 2017 for women’s cricket, especially back in India. We all were really disappointed that we could not win that day, but when we went back home and the kind of reception we got, everyone started knowing a lot about women’s cricket. In the last eight years, I mean, wherever we play, we feel like it’s home. People come out and watch us, criticise us, appreciate us, which is all good because, I mean, it’s just on a rise in terms of people knowing and wanting to watch women’s cricket, which is a great thing. It has been a roller coaster ride for the Indian team.”
She also spoke about the growth of women’s cricket worldwide, highlighting the rise of T20 franchise leagues. She noted the significant changes since their loss in the final, describing it as “quite a journey.”
Talking about the appeal against Tammy Beaumont for obstructing the field, she mentioned she could not see it from mid-on. “Richa Ghosh and Jemimah Rodrigues thought she had obstructed the field, so they made the appeal. However, the TV umpire didn’t feel it was a violation and upheld the decision.”
On Deepti Sharma pulling out of her bowling action, Mandhana clarified, “Deepti actually pulls out quite a lot. I would say that every match she would’ve played maybe once or twice she has the habit. Maybe she wants to watch the batter, or she has her own strategy. But it was not discussed at all.”
When asked if they had discussed running out the batter at the non-striker’s end, the opener replied, “Why would we discuss all of those things? We came here to play good cricket, and that was the only discussion which we had. She does that quite a lot. I think it’s more to do with seeing what the batter is doing.”