Intro
India seeks crucial lessons after England expose weaknesses before World Cup.
Taunton
India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana admitted that her team failed to build enough pressure with dot balls during their six-wicket defeat to England in the third Women’s T20 International and stressed that the mistake cannot be repeated at the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
England completed a 2-1 series comeback after successfully chasing down India’s competitive total of 180 for five in Taunton. The defeat served as a timely reminder for India as they prepare for the global tournament, which begins later this month.
India had made a dream start with the ball, reducing England to 35 for three. However, the hosts recovered brilliantly through a match-winning 137-run partnership between Alice Capsey, who scored 82, and Heather Knight, who remained unbeaten on 70.
Reflecting on the loss, Mandhana acknowledged that England’s batters played quality cricket but felt India could have created greater pressure by restricting scoring opportunities.
“We definitely started extremely well with the ball. They played some really good cricketing shots, but in hindsight, we could have built pressure with more dot balls. We will review this game carefully and ensure we do not repeat these mistakes in the World Cup,” Mandhana said after the match.
Despite the defeat, the left-handed opener found several positives from the series, particularly the return to form of captain Harmanpreet Kaur. The skipper played a captain’s knock, scoring a fluent 56 off 40 balls to guide India past the 180-run mark.
Mandhana praised Harmanpreet’s innings, describing it as a crucial contribution under pressure. She also expressed satisfaction with the overall batting form within the squad, noting that several key players are peaking at the right time ahead of the World Cup.
India will begin their Women’s T20 World Cup campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan in Birmingham on June 14. However, Mandhana insisted the team’s focus remains on the tournament as a whole rather than a single high-profile fixture.
She said the World Cup itself deserves greater attention, adding that fans are expected to turn out in large numbers and that India hopes to reward them with strong performances throughout the competition.
