Veteran opener Smriti Mandhana accepted after defeat to England in the second ODI of the three -match series that the Indian players did not mold the difficult situations of Lord’s field and the batsmen did not play intelligent shots.
Mandhana said at a press conference after the match:
I think as a batting unit, we could not quickly suit the circumstances. We tried to play some shots that were probably not easy.
Mandhana admitted that the long breaks affected the concentration of the players due to the rain before the match started. He said:
It is always very difficult to focus in the match affected by rain. We had to wait a long time to start the match. If the toss is not in your favor in such matches, then the difficulties can increase further. This was a tough challenge for all of us. We could do better on some aspects.
Mandhana said that the last eight years have been great for women cricketers in India. He said:
Women cricket, especially in India, has changed a lot after 2017. We were all disappointed at not winning that day, but when we returned to India, we got a reception like heroes. Everyone started knowing a lot about women’s cricket. For the last eight years, wherever we play, we feel that we are playing on the home ground from the number of Indian fans present in the stadium. People come to see us, criticize us, appreciate us, which is all good because it is promoting cricket.