We’ll learn from our mistakes – Smriti Mandhana on RCB-W’s defeat against Gujarat Giants

It was a tough day in office for the Royal Challengers Bangalore Women as they went down fighting against the Gujarat Giants in a high-scoring encounter at the the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. 

Smriti Mandhana started off on a feisty note as she hammered 24 off just 16, blasting two fours and two sixes while Georgia Wareham provided a late flourish. However, the ask was too vertiginous for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the end as they fell short of the finish line by 19 runs.

Talking in the post-match presentation, the RCB-W skipper dissected the game while underlining the positives.

She said, “We definitely had a chat about them (Giants), they have world class players in their team. Feel 200 was chaseable, we probably should have had better partnerships but in the end they played well. They started off really well. They were scoring at a good run-rate but I felt like we pulled it back really well in the last 3-4 overs. We thought they might get to 220-230 but we pulled it back really well.”

She further added, “It’s just about playing good cricket, it's not about batting first or second. Of course, I think teams batting first have won the last three games. If you can get a good total, around 190 plus and you’re in the game, especially if you can take some early wickets.”

Mandhana concluded on a note of appreciation for Wolfie while vowing to come back stronger, adding, “Really pleased with Wareham, thought we might lose by a bigger margin but her knock was amazing. We’ll learn from our mistakes today, we’ll understand the conditions better, this was our first match here.”