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Opening batter Smriti Mandhana took the blame for India's 4-run defeat against England in the Women's ODI World Cup 2025 on Sunday. Mandhana said she should have been better with her shot selection, as she blamed her dismissal for starting the batting collapse, which led to India faltering in the 289-run chase against England.
In pursuit of a tricky target of 289 runs at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. India got off to a shaky start as they lost opener Pratika Rawal (6) and no.3 Harleen Deol (24) cheaply inside the first ten overs. However, Mandhana combined with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur to help the hosts resurrect their innings with a brilliant 125-run stand for the third wicket.
Mandhana slammed a brilliant 88, while Harmanpreet scored 70, however, their knocks weren't enough to get India over the line in the chase. Mandhana was dismissed in the 42nd over after getting caught by Alice Capsey, trying to loft spinner Linsey Smith. Her wicket sparked a collapse as India eventually failed to scale the target of 289 runs.
“Yeah, for sure. I mean, we collapsed, and everyone saw that. I think our shot selections at that stage could have been better. Especially since it started with me, I take responsibility for that; my shot selection should have been smarter. We just needed six runs per over, and maybe we should have tried to take the game deeper. So, yeah, I’ll take it on myself because the collapse started from me,” Mandhana said in the post-match press conference.
Amid criticism from all corners over India's poor show in the home World Cup so far, Mandhana said the Harmanpreet-led side will take the loss in their stride and try to bounce back in their next game against New Zealand. The senior batter insisted the next game will be a virtual quarter-final for India as their semi-final chances heavily depend on the result.
“It's too soon now that we've had a get-together. But in cricket, nothing comes easy. For sure, the next match would be the virtual quarter-final in terms of getting into the top four. But yeah, you don't play cricket to have easy days. We'll all take this in our stride,” Mandhana added.
Despite having lost three games in a row in the Women's ODI World Cup 2025, India remain in contention to secure a spot in the semi-finals. India have two games remaining in the league stage and need to win both to directly qualify for the top four. India will play New Zealand in their next match on Thursday, October 23, before locking horns with Bangladesh in their final league game on October 26.
While two wins in their remaining two matches will confirm their berth in the semi-finals, a loss in one of the two games will push India towards elimination.
