NEW DELHI: Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur openly shared her deep disappointment following her team’s agonizing four-run defeat to England. She acknowledged that despite dominating significant portions of the Women’s World Cup group encounter on Sunday, they once again failed to convert a winning position into a victory.
With Smriti Mandhana playing a superb innings of 88 runs, India looked set for a comfortable win, needing just 56 runs from 54 balls with seven wickets still in hand. However, England mounted an incredible comeback, securing their fourth consecutive victory and cementing their place in the semifinals alongside formidable teams like Australia and South Africa.
“Smriti’s wicket was the turning point for us. It’s a heartbreaking moment,” Harmanpreet stated during the post-match presentation.
While Mandhana and Harmanpreet were at the crease, India maintained a strong grip on the game. Yet, neither was able to stay until the end and guide the chase to completion.
Earlier in the match, Heather Knight’s brilliant century (109 runs) had helped England post a challenging total of 288/8. India, in response, fell just short with 284/6. The momentum shifted dramatically when left-arm spinner Linsey Smith unexpectedly dismissed Mandhana, triggering a collapse. Although Deepti Sharma’s composed half-century offered a glimmer of hope after Mandhana’s departure, Sophie Ecclestone’s critical dismissal of the all-rounder in the final overs sealed England’s narrow triumph.
“It’s a bad feeling when you have put so much hard work in but the last 5-6 overs didn’t go according to the plan,” Harmanpreet expressed. “We still had batters, but I don’t know how things went the other way. Credit to England. They didn’t lose hope, they kept bowling and getting wickets.”
This defeat marks India’s third consecutive loss, following setbacks against South Africa and Australia. These results have pushed the co-hosts and pre-tournament favorites to the brink of elimination. In all three encounters, India found themselves in winning positions only to falter at the crucial moment. Against Australia, they failed to defend a high score of 330, and against South Africa, they allowed their opponents to chase down 251 despite having them seven wickets down.
“We are playing good cricket, we are not giving up, but have to cross the line. It’s been the last three games where we showed up with good cricket, but ended up on losing side,” Harmanpreet reflected. “Our bowlers did a really good job, because when Heather was batting they were looking very good. We did a lot right, but the last five overs, we have to rethink.”
India now faces two high-stakes matches: a must-win clash against New Zealand in Navi Mumbai on Thursday, followed by their final group stage game against Bangladesh on October 26. Achieving victories in both, coupled with favorable outcomes in other matches, is essential to keep their semifinal aspirations alive.
“Next game is very important,” the India captain concluded, emphasizing the urgency of their upcoming fixtures.