For me, every World Cup match is special – Smriti Mandhana

With India gearing up for the upcoming ICC T20 Women’s World Cup, the Women in Blue are well aware of the challenges that lie ahead. With the current squad backed to achieve big things at the tournament, Smriti Mandhana had a message for everyone, which was part warning and part insight about being practical and the need to stave away from getting spirited away by emotions.

Talking to Star Sports, Smriti Mandhana said, “Every game in the World Cup is important, and you have to give your 100 percent in each one. New Zealand and Sri Lanka are strong teams, but with Australia, you know you can’t afford to make mistakes.”

She further added, “You have to bring your best game on that particular day to get the better of them. There’s always excitement when facing Australia because they’re such a good team, and beating them is a great challenge.”

Talking about India’s arch-rivals, Pakistan, whom they will be playing on 6th October. Mandhana stated, “I think the India-Pakistan rivalry is more about the emotions of the fans than anything else. It’s not like the players don’t talk to each other; it’s the emotions from both nations that make it so intense.”

She concluded by stating, “For me, every World Cup match is special, and we put the same amount of effort into each game. But there’s definitely a lot of emotion attached to the India-Pakistan games. The afternoon game is going to be a challenge due to the heat, but when you play for India, there are no excuses. By the time we face Pakistan, I’m sure we’ll be ready. Mentally, we need to stay strong and keep pushing, staying hydrated is key.”