India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana believes her side’s inability to build sustained pressure through dot balls proved costly in the third T20I against England, a lesson she hopes the team carries forward ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. India’s preparations for the global tournament suffered a minor setback after England secured a six-wicket victory in the series decider, clinching the three-match contest 2-1.
Despite making an impressive start with the ball, India were unable to maintain control during the middle overs as England mounted a successful chase of 181. “We definitely started extremely well with the ball, reducing England to 35 for 3,” Smriti Mandhana said after the match.
However, England recovered brilliantly through a match-winning 137-run partnership between Alice Capsey and Heather Knight. Capsey struck a superb 82, while Knight remained unbeaten on 70 to guide the hosts to victory and expose areas India still need to address before the World Cup. Reflecting on the defeat, Mandhana admitted India failed to create enough pressure after the early breakthroughs.
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“In hindsight, we would have been able to build pressure with a few dot balls, but we were not able to do that. We will definitely look at this game in a way where we can do better and not repeat these mistakes in the World Cup coming ahead,” she said.
Despite the result, the experienced opener highlighted several positives from the series, particularly the return to form of captain Harmanpreet Kaur. The Indian skipper produced a captain’s knock, scoring a fluent 56 off 40 deliveries to help India post a competitive total of 180 for five. Mandhana was full of praise for her captain’s performance and the batting unit’s overall form.
“She batted amazingly well. Harman, when she is at her best, is a delight to watch. She played all over the ground and delivered a really important innings when we needed it most,” Smriti Mandhana said.
The vice-captain also expressed confidence in India’s batting depth, pointing out that several key players are finding form at the right time ahead of the marquee tournament. Looking ahead to India’s opening World Cup clash against Pakistan in Birmingham on June 14, Smriti Mandhana urged fans and stakeholders to focus on the tournament as a whole rather than a single high-profile fixture.
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“We really need to hype up the T20 World Cup. We don’t need to hype up only one match. It is already hyped up. Hopefully, a lot of people will come and support us, and we can put up a great show for them,” she added. With valuable lessons learned from the England series and key players regaining form, India will now shift their attention to the Women’s T20 World Cup, aiming to convert their potential into a title-winning campaign.
