Mandhana: ‘Shafali and I have a huge role to play’ at the T20 World Cup – India’s Hopes

India’s vice-captain, Smriti Mandhana, has unequivocally stated that the responsibility for setting a strong foundation at the upcoming T20 World Cup rests heavily on her and opening partner Shafali Verma. Following a challenging 2-1 T20I series defeat to England, Mandhana acknowledged the pair’s struggle to provide the crucial strong starts the team requires, highlighting a key area for immediate improvement ahead of the global showpiece.

The Imperative of Opening Partnerships

The recent T20I series against England saw Mandhana and Shafali register opening stands of just 19, 27, and 0 across the three matches. This lack of initial momentum placed undue pressure on the middle order, contributing to India’s series loss. Despite these figures, Mandhana maintains a strong belief in their collective ability and their “huge role to play going forward” as India aims to add the T20 World Cup trophy to their cabinet, building on the success of their ODI World Cup triumph at home the previous year.

“For me and Shifu, we are definitely timing the ball well but unfortunately we are not able to contribute in big ways for the team,” Mandhana reflected after the six-wicket loss in the third T20I. Her statement underscores a recognition of personal responsibility and a commitment to rectification. “But for both of us, we’ll go back in the nets, keep working hard and make sure we come back stronger as an opening pair because both of us pride ourselves to give good starts and keep the momentum going. But unfortunately, we could not do that in this series. We’ll take it in our stride and try and work hard.”

The vice-captain also recognized the strategic advantage of playing a series in England just before the World Cup. “Coming early and playing a series in England before the World Cup is definitely good to do in terms of preparations,” she noted, emphasizing the value of acclimatization and competitive practice.

Analyzing the Openers’ Performance

Individually, Mandhana averaged just 13.33 in the series, with her highest score being 32. Shafali Verma, while averaging a similar 11.66, did so with a significantly higher strike rate of 152.17 compared to Mandhana’s 114.28. This difference in approach, even in challenging conditions, highlights their distinct playing styles. Their most significant contribution came in the second game in Bristol, where Mandhana scored 32 off 25 balls and Shafali 22 off 14 in pursuit of 169. However, a dramatic collapse of 7 wickets for 32 runs ultimately saw India fall short by 26 runs, illustrating the fragility that can follow if strong starts are not capitalized upon.

Positive Takeaways and Key Performers

While the series result was not ideal, India did have several positive takeaways. Yastika Bhatia, returning from injury, emerged as a standout performer, finishing as the top run-scorer across both teams with 119 runs, including a well-crafted half-century. Her form provides a significant boost to the middle order.

The decider in England also witnessed a captain’s innings from Harmanpreet Kaur, who scored an unbeaten 56 off 40 deliveries. Despite her heroics, India’s total of 180 for 5 proved insufficient against a determined English side. Mandhana was full of praise for her captain’s performance. “She batted amazingly well today,” Mandhana remarked. “Harman, when she is at her best, it is a sight to watch. Today, she played all over the ground, a really important innings under pressure today, especially when we needed that knock to get us to 180-plus. Really happy.”

Mandhana also expressed optimism about the collective form of the squad. “I just feel everyone is definitely in good nick. It’s good signs going forward for the World Cup that Jemi [Jemimah Rodrigues], Harman, everyone is looking really beautiful to watch from the outside. Hopefully, I can watch from the non-striker’s end,” she added, underscoring the team’s depth and potential.

Learning from Defensive Challenges

India came close to securing a series victory in the final match, reducing England to a precarious 38 for 3 while defending their total of 180. However, a resilient 137-run fourth-wicket partnership between Alice Capsey and Heather Knight ultimately steered England to victory with nine balls to spare, highlighting areas for improvement in India’s bowling and defensive strategies.

“We definitely started extremely well with the ball, 38 for 3,” Mandhana acknowledged. “I wouldn’t really take anything away from the partnership they had. I think they played really good cricketing shots. They played all around the ground. In hindsight, we would have been able to build pressure with a few dot balls, but we were not able to do that.”

The vice-captain stressed the importance of introspection and tactical adjustments. “As I said, for all of us, we will definitely look at this game in a way where we can do better and not repeat these mistakes in the World Cup coming ahead. With our bowling, we’ll go back to the drawing board, see which options can be better. We did that before this series, maybe we can go back again and now we know these conditions, what balls [need] to be bowled. I am sure those two-three things are going to help a lot of our players.” This forward-looking approach is critical for a team with World Cup ambitions.

The Road to the T20 World Cup

India’s campaign in the T20 World Cup is set to commence with a highly anticipated clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on June 14 in Birmingham. They have been drawn into Group 1, a formidable pool that includes cricketing powerhouses Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh, and the Netherlands. Before the main tournament begins, India will engage in two crucial warm-up matches: against West Indies on June 8 and England on June 10, providing valuable opportunities to fine-tune strategies and team combinations.

The prospect of the India-Pakistan encounter always generates immense excitement, but Mandhana was keen to emphasize the broader significance of the tournament. “India-Pakistan doesn’t need hype,” she stated, recalling the sold-out crowd at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. “Not only India-Pakistan, I just feel we really need to hype up the T20 World Cup. We don’t need to [do it for India vs Pakistan]; it’s already hyped up. I am sure a lot of people are going to come and support us. Hopefully, we can put up a show for them.” Her comments reflect a desire to elevate the profile of the entire tournament and focus on India’s performance for their supporters.

As the T20 World Cup approaches, the onus is clearly on the entire Indian squad to refine their game, learn from recent experiences, and execute their plans flawlessly. The words of Smriti Mandhana serve as a powerful reminder of the expectations and responsibilities, particularly for the opening pair, as they aim to lead India to global glory.