Really happy to contribute to the win – Smriti Mandhana on her crucial 48-run knock vs England-W

The Indian women’s team finished things off on a high as they secured an impressive victory in the final T20I, braving a daunting England challenge. There were an array of impressive performances that stood out, with Shreyanka Patil and Saika Ishaque picking up three-fers, while Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodriguez (29) led the way with the bat.

Mandhana played a crucial knock of 48 runs from 48 balls that anchored the entire Indian innings and brought them within touching distance of a remarkable victory.

Talking at the post-match presentation, Mandhana said, “First two matches didn’t go the way we wanted. We knew that this win would be important going into the Test despite losing the series. Back to back games are a little tough on the body. Didn’t quite bat the way I wanted at the start but got going towards the end.”

She further added, “Really happy to contribute to the win. We bowled really well, they probably got 10-15 runs extra at the end but it was an amazing bowling performance.”

Mandhana, who leads RCB in the WPL, concluded by saying, “It was the same wicket as the last game, the target was not very difficult but we really had to apply ourselves. It's a lot easier to be out there than to watch but Amanjot played really well and got us over the line.”