Smriti Mandhana Acknowledges Need for Improvement Despite Victory Over Zimbabwe

Raipur, October 16 (Daily Kiran) : The Indian women’s cricket team secured a 4-wicket victory against Zimbabwe in the first T20 match held at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur on October 16. However, captain Smriti Mandhana expressed that the team did not perform to their expectations.

Chasing a modest target of 115 runs, India found themselves in a precarious position at 19/4. A crucial partnership between Deepti Sharma, who scored 49 runs, and debutant Nikki Prasad, who remained unbeaten at 39, helped steer the team to victory with 26 balls to spare. This win gives the Women in Blue a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

After the match, Mandhana stated, “As a team, we probably didn’t play as well as we thought we would, but a win is a win. Some players performed exceptionally well: Nandini Sharma bowled brilliantly, Nikki Prasad showed remarkable composure in her debut, and Deepti Sharma has been consistently delivering outstanding performances. She is a true legend of the game. We are happy with the win, but there is still much to learn, and as a team, we need to work on several areas.”

When asked about the specific areas for improvement, Mandhana mentioned that discussions had already taken place in the dressing room. “I’ve talked about those points with the team. As we move forward, the results will surely reflect our discussions. I don’t want to disclose specific details right now, but we have definitely addressed them. The positive takeaway was the energy on the field today—especially the way Smriti and Nikki fielded with great intensity,” she added.

Mandhana also acknowledged the challenge of playing against an unfamiliar team, noting that India effectively handled slower balls during the death overs. “We must commend Zimbabwe; their batters played some excellent cricket shots. Playing against an unknown team can be tough, as you don’t know what to expect. However, I believe we adapted well towards the end of the innings and utilized slower variations effectively. There is a significant difference between preparing with video footage and facing them on the field,” she explained.

Regarding Deepti’s performance, Mandhana highlighted that the all-rounder’s intent made a significant difference. “She batted brilliantly, and the way she attacked the bowlers never gave them a chance to settle or dominate. Watching her bat with such intent boosted my confidence to play my shots from the other end.”

On the other hand, Zimbabwe’s captain, Josephine Nkomo, praised her bowlers for their efforts. “I was very impressed with our bowling and the spirit we showed, which allowed us to restrict India to 19/4 during the powerplay. I will always be happy with such performances. I think we kept things simple—just bowled good lines and lengths, and supported each other in the field,” she said.

However, Nkomo felt that her batters needed to focus more on rotating the strike, as Zimbabwe’s innings included 67 dot balls. “I think we need to work on our dot ball percentage. We played a lot of dot balls; if we can convert some of those into singles or doubles, our position will improve significantly,” she noted.