We’re really happy to get the win – Smriti Mandhana on India’s victory against Zimbabwe

The Indian women's cricket team secured a win in the WT20I series opener against Zimbabwe, as Niki Prasad and Deepti Sharma knitted together a resolute partnership. Batting first, Zimbabwe scored 114/5. India had an early hiccup, losing four quick wickets before Prasad and Sharma took over the reins to propel India across the finish line.

The win marked a victorious onset to Smriti Mandhana’s captaincy era. Talking at the post-match presentation, Mandhana opened up on the overall performance of the Indian cricket team while also heaping praise on the individuals who performed well in the challenge against Zimbabwe.

Reflecting on the overall performance of the Indian cricket team, Mandhana said, “Process-wise, we might not have played the exact way we wanted as a team, but nevertheless, a win is a win. We have a few standout performances to appreciate: Nandani Sharma bowled extremely well, Niki Prasad showed remarkable composure on her debut, and Deepti Sharma, well, she's been doing this for a very long time; she's a true legend of the game. We’re really happy to get the win, but there are definitely plenty of takeaways and areas for us to work on as a group.”

Speaking on the positives from the game, Mandhana stated, “I've actually already addressed those points in the dressing room! Once we get going, people will start seeing the results in due time for sure. I wouldn't really want to disclose those specifics right now, but we've definitely had conversations around them. On a positive note, I thought our intensity on the field today, especially with Smriti and Niki throwing themselves around was a massive plus for us.”

Talking about the preparations for Zimbabwe, Mandhana added, “Credit to Zimbabwe, their batters definitely played some quality cricketing shots out there. Playing against an unknown opposition can be tricky because you don't fully know what to expect. But I thought the way we adapted towards the back end by using slower variations worked really well for us. We did prepare and plan against them beforehand, but watching video footage and facing them live are two completely different things.”

Smriti concluded by talking about Deepti Sharma’s match-winning knock, saying, “She played brilliantly. The way she took the attack to the bowlers meant she never allowed them to settle or dominate. Watching her bat with that intent gave me a lot of confidence to play my own shots at the other end.”