Smriti Mandhana Shoulders Responsibility as India Falls Short Against England in Women’s ODI World Cup 2025

India’s vice-captain, Smriti Mandhana, shouldered the blame for the team’s narrow four-run defeat to England in the Women’s World Cup in Indore. She acknowledged that her dismissal was the catalyst for a batting collapse and suggested that her teammates could have made better shot selections.

Chasing a target of 289, India seemed on track with Mandhana scoring 88 and forming vital partnerships — 125 runs with captain Harmanpreet Kaur and 67 with Deepti Sharma, guiding the chase. However, her untimely lofted shot to long-off initiated the downfall. Soon after, Richa Ghosh was dismissed with a shot to cover, and Deepti Sharma also fell to a mistimed slog, leading to the team’s close miss.

Mandhana reflected on the loss, stating at the post-match press conference on Sunday, “Everyone’s shot selections at that time could have been better. It started with me, so I take responsibility for that.”

She admitted failing to adhere to her plan of avoiding aerial shots and let emotions dictate her play. “I thought I could take the bowler on and aimed over covers, but it was mistimed. Perhaps, I should have been more patient throughout,” she confessed. Despite the earlier setback, Mandhana was initially confident of a win, but cricket, as unpredictable as it is, had other plans.

The collapse mirrored a similar situation from a previous game against Australia, where a strong start was squandered by the middle and lower orders. However, Mandhana defended her team, pointing out that finishing matches is challenging and cited England’s own struggle to finish well as an example.

Mandhana stated, “Against South Africa, we scored over 90 in the last 10 overs, proving that the team has done well. It’s about experienced players stepping up and guiding the younger ones in such situations.”

To bolster the bowling attack against England, the management replaced batter Jemimah Rodrigues with pacer Renuka Singh. “Having only five bowlers wasn’t enough on flat tracks, especially if one had an off day,” Mandhana explained. Although it was difficult to drop a player like Jemimah, the team had to make a hard decision for the right balance.

India’s loss marked their third consecutive defeat in the tournament, putting their semifinal chances in jeopardy. They must win the remaining two matches to remain contenders.

Published on October 20, 2025.