'Really sorry' - Smriti Mandhana promises to comeback stronger after T20 World Cup defeat

The Indian women’s team had a brilliant outing in the recently concluded ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia. The Women in Blue qualified for the finals for the first time and that too went undefeated in the league stages. They started off by beating the hosts and defending champions Australia in the tournament opener and then defeated New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as well.

They then met England in the semi-final, but rain played spoilsport, washing out the encounter and India went into the finale based on their unbeaten run in the league phase. Though the lack of reserve day was criticized by one and all, especially the bitter England players and management; India celebrated the result. However, the dream run came to a hurtful end in the final when Australia steamrolled India by 85 runs and won their fifth T20 World Cup title.

Really sorry that the results didn’t go in our favor: Smriti Mandhana

The form of Indian opener Smriti Mandhana was one of the reasons why India failed in the finals, as they were bowled out for 99 runs chasing 185 for a win. “I would like to thank all those who filled the MCG on the 8th of March and the billions who supported us throughout. Really sorry that the results didn’t go in our favor but I’m overwhelmed by the support that we’ve been receiving and that kind of support is what keeps us going,” Mandhana said in an Instagram post.

Mandhana had only made 49 runs in the whole tournament and along with captain Harmanpreet Kaur, and other veteran batswomen had a poor outing. Only 16-year-old Shafali Verma shined with the bat, but even she failed to produce a half-century in the tournament; something that came to bite them in the final, when Verma was caught behind on the third ball of the first over.

However, Mandhana was appreciative of the team’s performance and the efforts put by the support staff as well. She vowed to work hard for the next T20 World Cup in 2022 in South Africa. “I also wanted to take a moment to appreciate the efforts and the hard work the entire team and support staff have put in throughout this World Cup. Really proud of this young team and I promise you all on behalf of my team that we will definitely work harder and come back stronger,” she added.