We've seen these incidents so much in the past as well when we see men's cricket: Smriti Mandhana

India's women's cricket team faced a thrilling tie in the final ODI against Bangladesh on Saturday (July 22), resulting in both teams sharing the series. Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana expressed her disappointment at not having a Super Over to determine the winner. Despite being in control for most of the game, India faltered in their run chase of 226.

Mandhana acknowledged that a Super Over would have been an exciting way to conclude the series, but she also recognised the positive impact such a closely contested match can have on women's cricket as a whole.

However, the post-match attention shifted towards Harmanpreet Kaur's remarks. Indian skipper voiced her displeasure with the on-field umpires' decisions and showed frustration by hitting the stumps with her bat when given out leg-before-wicket during the chase. Mandhana attributed these emotional outbursts to the intensity of the game and Harmanpreet's fierce desire to win for India.

 "What happened in the middle it's part and parcel of the game; we've seen these incidents so much in the past as well when we see men's cricket," Mandhana said as quoted by Cricbuzz.

Regarding the umpiring decisions, Mandhana called for the inclusion of neutral umpires in future India-Bangladesh series, especially since the Decision Review System (DRS) was not available during this series. She emphasised the need for better umpiring decisions, particularly in situations where there seemed to be clear errors.

"I think in any match, sometimes it happens that you are really not happy with the kind of (decisions), and especially when there's no DRS in a match, I would term it in a better level of umpiring in terms of some decisions because it was very evident, there was not even a second thought given when the ball was hitting the pad, when our batters were batting," she added.

While Mandhana refused to comment on Harmanpreet's alleged request for match officials to join the players during the trophy presentation, she defended her captain's decision not to face the media. She believed it was unfair to speculate about potential bans, as it was up to the ICC and umpiring panel to make such decisions.

"But yeah, I think it's all part and parcel, and we will take everything in our stride. It is trying to be a little positive about everything, and I'm sure that the ICC, BCB and BCCI will definitely have more of a discussion on that," she added.

Shifting the focus to the positives of the tour, Mandhana highlighted the learning opportunities for the team. Despite losing twice to Bangladesh, she expressed that the team gained valuable experience and identified areas where they can improve. Mandhana praised Harleen Deol's batting performance, Amanjot Kaur's bowling, and Jemimah Rodrigues' comeback in one-dayers as significant positives from the series.