New Delhi: India’s prolific opener Smriti Mandhana acknowledged that competing at lord’s turned out to be a tough challenge. The vice-captain acknowledged that the team struggled to adapt to the challenging conditions during the second ODI against England, which ended in an eight-wicket defeat for the visitors.
After a positive start to the series with a win in Southampton, India faltered at Lord’s in a rain-curtailed contest on Saturday night. India batted first in testing conditions and managed a total of 143 for eight in 29 overs, with Mandhana’s 42 and Deepti Sharma’s unbeaten 30 being the only notable contributions.
Speaking after the match, Mandhana admitted the team’s shot selection was not ideal for the conditions they faced. “As a batting unit, we couldn’t adapt to the conditions quickly. We tried to play some shots which were maybe not easy on this sort of wicket, especially at Lord’s,” she said.
The rain delay before the match didn’t help either, impacting the players’ focus. “Rain curtailed matches are always hard in terms of getting your focus right because it was a long wait period. Losing the toss in these conditions doesn’t help either,” Mandhana noted, adding that the match was a good learning experience for the team.
Learning from Lord’s challenge
Many players in the squad were playing for the first time at Lord’s, and Mandhana believes the experience will benefit them in the long run. She said, “The excitement was quite high. I’m sure a lot of people took away memories and learnings.”
She also reflected on India’s journey since the 2017 World Cup final at the same venue, Mandhana spoke about the growth of women’s cricket in India. “It’s been a journey since 2017. The reception we got back home changed everything. Now, wherever we play, it feels like home with fans supporting and watching us,” she shared.
What next?
India will look to bounce back and use the lessons to sharpen their approach as the series heads for the final ODI.