08 October,2024 07:20 AM IST | Dubai | Santosh Suri
India’s Smriti Mandhana after being dismissed for seven v Pakistan on Sunday. Pic/AFP
Smriti Mandhana has been a top-notch performer on the international cricket scene for over a decade. She is one of the most graceful, left-handed openers of her time, and time and again, she has shown her class with some brilliant batting performances around the world. But somehow, she has failed to get going in the two matches that Team India have played in the Women's T20 World Cup, currently underway in the UAE. Her scores of 12 against New Zealand and seven against Pakistan do not do justice to the talent she possesses. If India hope to make it to the semi-finals, much of their fortunes rest on her form.
Smriti forms a formidable opening pair with Shafali Verma and the duo are known for giving their team solid starts more often than not. But Smriti has yet to come to terms with sluggish pitches at the Dubai International Stadium. Thus, the duo have not been able to give the required momentum to the team. As a result, the batting line-up struggled in both games. The Smriti-Shafali combo put on just 11 in the first game and 18 in the second. Little wonder, in both games India struggled to get across the 100-run mark. They managed just 102 runs in 19 overs at a run rate of 5.36, when the required rate was 8.01 against the White Ferns, and 108 in 18.5 at 5.73 against Pakistan when they needed to overhaul the target of 106 in at least 15 overs to significantly improve their Net Run Rate (NRR).
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After the win over Pakistan, the Indian vice-captain said: "Shafali and I couldn't time the ball on the slow wicket. Thus, we were a bit circumspect. After my dismissal, we didn't want to end up losing a lot of wickets. In pursuit of quick runs, we did not want to get into trouble. We were a little calculative and batted cautiously although the NRR was on our mind."
That left India's NRR (-1.217) way behind the top two teams in Group A - Australia (1.908) and New Zealand (2.900). However, Mandhana felt that the victory against Pakistan could be a launch pad for the team going into the last two group matches. She said: "We have been very disciplined and followed the plans. The bowlers have bowled well, particularly against Pakistan. In the field, we have been very good. A better start with the bat would have been good, but we will take that win [even though it came in the 19th over]. Hopefully, Shafali and I will get back among runs in the next match."
India will face Sri Lanka next on Wednesday, with the status of skipper Harmanpreet Kaur still uncertain after she was forced to retire hurt when she slipped in an attempt to get the winning boundary against Pakistan. She has two days of rest and being a late evening game, she gets ample time to recover and lead the team in this crucial match. "Too soon to say anything. The medical team is looking at it. Hope it's not too bad," Mandhana said on her skipper's fitness status.
3,512
No. of runs scored by Smriti Mandhana in 143 T20Is @ 28.55
