I'm really happy that RCB is in the final – Smriti Mandhana

It was a brilliant show of defiance in the sheer face of defeat as RCB-W conjured a thrilling watershed to clinch the bragging rights of the play-off and sail hammer and tongs to the grand finale. Smriti Mandhana couldn’t add much with the bat but was absolutely enthralling with her captaincy.

From the timely bowling maneuvers to vesting faith in her players, she did it all that eventually allowed RCB-W to defend a low total in a high-stakes game. Talking at the post-match presentation, Smriti highlighted the twists and turns of the game and how the players held their nerves to produce one of the most thrilling comebacks in the history of the game.

Smriti said, “What a match. Still this feeling has not sunk in. At the halfway mark, we felt we were 20 runs short. But the way we bowled and fielded was amazing. 130 is a total where you are not sure whether to attack or defend, but the last over from Asha was unreal.”

Underlining the turning point of the game, Mandhana said, “Definitely Harman's wicket. That over from Shreyanka and even the 19th over from Sophie because even Sajana is a good hitter, that 19th made a lot of difference.”

She also shared her train of thoughts on Ellyse Perry, stating, “What do I say of her now! She is a legend, the way she kept her nerves with 3 wickets down. Even when she came back in, she told us we are in it, keep our nerves.”

Smriti concluded by saying, “Feels unreal. After the last match we thought we were playing good cricket, winning the toss was great, but at 30/3 I was like, what have I done! 130-odd and cricket is a funny game and that's what taught me to keep going. I'm really happy that RCB is in the final. One more day of good training and come back the day after.”