Smriti Mandhana attributes India-W’s rampant form to WPL

Pooja Vastrakar’s electric bowling saw India Women laying waste to South Africa in the final T20I of the series after going down in the opener. The second contest of the fray got washed away which meant that India had to secure a win at all costs in the final game of the fray.

Winning the toss, India opted to bowl first and their bowlers, spearheaded by Pooja Vastrakar left the visitors reeling. Vastrakar claimed four wickets last evening while being complemented perfectly by Radha Yadav who plundered three wickets as well.

Indian vice-captain, Smriti Mandhana who won the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for June 2024, expressed her admiration for what the Indian quick did just ahead of the Women’s T20 World Cup. Talking at the post-match presser, Mandhana underscored the importance of Vastrakar’s menacing form.

Talking about the wickets, Smriti said, “In the first two matches, the wickets were flat, and for her to come with such figures is amazing. We hope she keeps doing the same things and will be crucial for us in the World Cup.”

Shifting her focus to Pooja Vastrakar’s current run, Smriti said, “She is brilliant with the ball. It's been a long series for all of us, and being a bowler, I wonder how she has done that (carried on without getting tired)?"

The RCB-W captain further added, “Even during the Bangladesh T20I series, the way she bowled, especially during the death overs, I struggled to see the ball when she was running in so quickly. We knew she had made a difference about how she has been bowling in the last few months. Coming into the series, we were confident of her.”

Highlighting the batters’ phenomenal display, Smriti said, “A lot of effort was put in during the batters' camp that we had at the NCA before the series. The number of hours in the camp with the bat helps you. Throughout the series, all the players were ready to play and bat across formats, having practiced those scenarios in the camp. I believe in working hard when no one's watching, and that helped me and the team perform well in this series.”

Smriti also said, “We will have a similar set of conditions during the Asia Cup. But, I think it's a good problem to have since, for a few years, we have wanted to have a few players who can go out and win the matches for us.”

Mandhana concluded by saying, “Also, the confidence that the WPL has given, has got them in that space. But it's a calculated big call that we have thought about. It's a lot to do with what we feel that can win us a lot of matches rather than just one or two. I won't say that there would be a lot of shuffling."