The Indian women’s cricket team has successfully secured their coveted spot in the Women’s World Cup semifinals, joining formidable teams like Australia, South Africa, and England. Their qualification came after a commanding 53-run victory over New Zealand, determined by the DLS method in a match affected by rain.
Reflecting on the achievement, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana shared her profound relief during the post-match presentation. “It’s a huge relief to qualify, for sure. The last three games were incredibly challenging. We felt we played strong cricket but just couldn’t clinch the wins, so this feels truly liberating,” Mandhana stated.
The match was a showcase of exceptional batting prowess. Smriti Mandhana herself notched her fifth century of the year, scoring an impressive 109 runs. Equally remarkable was Pratika Rawal, who celebrated her maiden World Cup century with a brilliant 122 runs.
This dynamic opening duo forged a record-breaking 212-run partnership for the first wicket, propelling India to a massive total of 340/3 in just 49 overs. This score not only marked their highest World Cup total but also surpassed their previous best of 330 against Australia in Visakhapatnam.
Following a second rain interruption, New Zealand’s target was revised to 325 runs from 44 overs. The 2000 champions, however, could only manage 271/8 in their chase.
Mandhana, deservingly named Player of the Match, was quick to credit her opening partner. “Pratika earned this award just as much as I did,” she added, highlighting their synergistic performance.
When questioned about the secret to their formidable partnership, Mandhana explained, “We’ve been asked about this for the past eight months, and honestly, neither of us has a perfect answer. But we’re quite similar; we both simply want to get the job done for the team. We don’t engage in much conversation in the middle. She’s excellent at anchoring the innings, which truly frees me up to play my natural game. And when she gets going, I can switch to the anchor role. It’s a system that genuinely works for us. We understand that when one is on a roll, the other can focus on rotating the strike.”
India had navigated a challenging phase after initially securing victories against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, facing setbacks with losses to South Africa, Australia, and England. Mandhana emphasized her personal approach during the tournament, saying, “I back myself to play a longer innings once I reach 20 runs. In World Cups, you have to shed a lot of baggage. If you’re in form, you need to keep pushing and not overcomplicate things – that’s what I kept reminding myself. I’m feeling good, and that’s what truly matters.”
Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur applauded the team’s resilience. “Credit goes to the entire team for the way we fought today. We understood the importance of this game; the whole team was fired up, and I’m very pleased with our performance. Kudos to Smriti and Pratika for taking responsibility and giving us an excellent start.”
Kaur also touched upon the pressure of playing at home. “When you play on home soil, everyone has high expectations. As a team, we discuss that this is our home ground, and the crowd is always cheering for us. It’s a moment to savor and enjoy, rather than letting pressure weigh us down.”
In contrast, New Zealand’s tournament journey proved difficult, culminating in three losses from six matches. Their captain, Sophie Devine, expressed deep disappointment. “We are incredibly disheartened and gutted, not just for ourselves but for our friends and family too. It’s been a frustrating tournament; we would have loved more opportunities to play and perform with the bat. All credit to India; their target was simply too immense for us to chase down.”