India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana was clearly emotional following the Women in Blue's heart-stopping four-run loss to England in the Women's World Cup 2025 on Sunday, October 19, at Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. India's third consecutive loss in the tournament means their hopes for reaching the semi-final now hang by a thread.
Mandhana, India's highest scorer with an excellent 88 off 94 balls, inclusive of eight fours, battled valiantly to steady the innings. She had added 50 runs for the fourth wicket with Deepti Sharma, placing India very much in the running at 227/3 after 40 overs, with only 62 runs to be scored from the last ten overs with seven wickets still in hand.
India's lower order falters under pressure
After Mandhana's dismissal in the 42nd over, India's lower order collapsed. 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 the team home, as England kept their cool in the last few overs. Mandhana, watched in tears in the dugout, owned up to the collapse, saying that her wicket was the trigger for the slide, India Today reported.
Points table pressure mounts
The loss has put India on the back foot on the points table, placed fourth with four points after five games. With only two matches left - against New Zealand and Bangladesh - India needs to win both games to ensure a semi-final spot or rely on other results going their way.
With India getting ready for a do-or-die encounter with the White Ferns, the team will attempt to group together, regroup and come back more strongly in the latter stages of the tournament. The pressure is mounting, but the Women in Blue have minimal margin of error if they aspire to hoist the much-desired trophy.
