India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana lamented the team’s tame batting collapse as they crashed to a 23-run loss against New Zealand in the first Twenty20 International at Wellington on Wednesday.
Chasing 160, India were cruising with the in-form Mandhana (58) and her batting partner Jemimah Rodrigues (39) building a 98-run partnership for the second wicket. However, from 102/1 in the 12th over, Indians slumped to 129/7 by the 18th.
“I thought my wicket, along with Jemimah’s was crucial at that stage,” Mandhana said at the post-match press conference. “To lose those wickets in quick succession proved to be costly. In T20 cricket, it makes a big difference if the required rate is over seven-eight. It is important to have a set batter at that stage.
“Next time, we have to plan better. We planned here as well but it didn’t work out. We thought we had the run rate under control. It was under seven. We ended up conceding 10-15 runs extra with the ball. If you get [Sophie] Devine, [Amy] Sattherthwaite and [Suzie] Bates out, it is crucial to not let their lower middle-order not score enough runs. The wicket was good to bat on and we should have surely chased down the total.”
The left-hander, though, was once again imperious with the bat and recorded her fastest T20I half-century by getting to the landmark in just 24 balls.
However, Mandhana dismissed suggestions that she was in the form of her life. “You don’t quite know what your best is,” she said. “You can’t score a 60 and say that it is your best. Maybe chasing this total down could have been one of my best. Only when I win matches for India consistently can I say that I am doing my best.”
Before Mandhana was dismissed, India needed just 58 runs from 52 deliveries and the victory was in sight. “I played a bad shot when the run rate was under control. These are the areas we will be trying to improve.
“We were cruising till the 12th over. Next time, I’ll try to bat till the 18th or the 20th over when I am set. It becomes easier when one of the top three or four batters bat deep. The other batters can also support them. Tactically, that will be the change we will be trying to make,” she added.
The 22-year-old, however, backed her teammates to bounce back in the next game. “We have two matches left. We are under the pump and everyone will be trying to do better than today.”