Smriti Mandhana, whose knock of 83 helped propel India to a target of 167/8 against Australia in their final Group B game on Saturday, was full of praise for the way her teammates worked hard to defend the total.
“The way we bowled and fielded today was probably the best we did all tournament. In that aspect, this win was special,” said Mandhana at the post-match presentation ceremony.
“I feel quite relieved as I was getting starts but not converting them. I wanted to go out there and score big runs so I was glad that I could do it today.”
However, her big knock was almost curtailed earlier than it should have been. She was given out LBW off Sophie Molineux’s bowling but she chose to review what seemed like a cut and dry decision and the umpire’s call was eventually overturned.
“Whenever the ball hits my pads, I always think it is out, I don’t know why! But she (Veda Krishnamurthy) told me to take the review. Thanks to her, we got 20-30 runs extra.”
Australia captain Meg Lanning, meanwhile, provided an update on wicketkeeper-batsman Alyssa Healy, who suffered a nasty blow to the head in the first innings and couldn’t come out to bat as a result.
“She’s (Healy) okay. We will look after her and hopefully, she should be alright for the semi-finals. But we have a lot to work on from here.”
The semi-finals of the tournament will be held on November 22.
