Team India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana credited her team’s bowling and fielding efforts as the primary reasons for their historic T20I series victory against England. The Women in Blue won the fourth T20I at Old Trafford by six wickets on Wednesday, putting them ahead 3-1 in the five-match series.
With one game remaining, the visitors have already secured their first T20I series victory on English soil. Mandhana emphasised how the team carried out their strategies, particularly in the bowling and fielding areas.
“Our bowlers made a tremendous recovery in all four matches, including the third T20. They restricted England in the final 4-5 overs, conceding only about 25 runs. They were unequivocal about their fielding. I would attribute it to these two factors: the level of clarity and fielding that everyone has done,” Mandhana said in a video posted on the BCCI’s website.
Everyone looks lot fitter now. Smriti Mandhana
Radha Yadav and Shree Charani bowled superb periods, taking four wickets between them to keep England to 126/7. Deepti Sharma became the second Indian woman, after Jhulan Goswami, to reach 300 international wickets, surpassing Pakistan’s Nida Dar as the greatest wicket-taker among women’s T20I spinners. Mandhana emphasised the squad’s focus on fitness.
“Everyone looks lot fitter now. I’d just say they deserve a lot of praise. I believe they were under a lot of pressure heading into the series, but the way they came and bowled here makes me extremely delighted. Everyone was incredibly excited. Everyone was prepared to go. We were simply waiting for the appropriate moment. Sometimes it feels like everyone is listening in. “There was a hunger in everyone’s eyes, and I believe it showed in our performance,” she said.
Meanwhile, India’s chase was anchored by a start from openers Shafali Verma and Mandhana herself, who stitched 56 runs in just seven overs. Shafali smashed three boundaries in one over off Lauren Filer. Despite a middle-overs collapse, Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur stitched together an important partnership that guided India home with 18 balls to spare. Mandhana also revealed that the team was well aware of the opportunity to create history before the fourth match.
“We discussed in the huddle that we were on the verge of making history, as we had never beaten England in a T20I series on their home turf. I am extremely pleased with everyone’s performance. It’s amazing what these girls have accomplished,” the southpaw concluded.
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