Smriti Mandhana emotional as India collapse in straightforward chase against England

Smriti Mandhana emotional as India suffer narrow loss to England in Women’s World Cup 2025.

India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana fought back tears as India suffered their third straight defeat in the Women’s World Cup 2025 on Sunday, October 19, at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore. The team fell short by just four runs while chasing 289 in 50 overs, leaving their semi-final hopes hanging by a thread.

Mandhana top-scored for India with a brilliant 88 off 94 balls, including eight boundaries. Despite her heroic innings, India’s lower order faltered in the final overs. Mandhana was seen dejected in the dugout after her dismissal in the 42nd over, struggling to hold back tears as the team failed to complete the chase.

At the 40-over mark, India were 227/3, needing 62 runs from the final ten overs with seven wickets in hand. Mandhana and Deepti Sharma had added a 50-run partnership for the fourth wicket, but after Mandhana’s wicket, Deepti Sharma (50 off 57), Richa Ghosh (8 off 10), Amanjot Kaur (18* off 15), and Sneh Rana (10* off 9) were unable to take India over the line.

Mandhana, despite her stellar knock, took responsibility for the collapse, saying her dismissal triggered the lower-order slide. With this loss, India now sits fourth on the points table with four points from five matches.

India will face New Zealand in a must-win encounter, followed by a final group match against Bangladesh. They will need victories in both matches to ensure a smooth path to the semi-finals or else depend on other teams’ results for qualification.