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Former Mumbai Indians (MI) batter Aditya Tare was left disappointed by India opener Smriti Mandhana’s shot selection leading to her wicket at a crucial juncture in the run chase against England. India needed a win to increase their chances of reaching the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 semifinals. But, once again, they faltered in the run chase against England. The demons of the ODI World Cup 2017 resurfaced as they lost the match by four runs despite setting a good platform.
"Teams win when set batters finish the game. I felt Smriti's dismissal was against the run of play. The momentum was entirely with India. The equation was a run-a-ball at this stage. There was no need to play that shot against the spin over extra cover. Smriti was also batting well. She was set," Tare said on Star Sports.
ALSO READ: 'I wouldn't really want to talk about my innings because it doesn't mean anything': Heartbroken Smriti Mandhana takes blame for failed run chase vs England
India needed just over run-a-ball when Mandhana departed in the 42nd over. As the pressure mounted, Deepti Sharma lost her wicket to Sophie Ecclestone after reaching her half-century. In the end, Amanjot Kaur and Sneh Rana struggled to find boundaries and India fell short of the target by five runs. Tare said that the lack of clam under pressure led to mistakes in shot selection.
"In my opinion, as Reema (Malhotra) also said, there were mistakes in shot selection under pressure, both from Smriti and Deepti. If you are playing against good teams, you know in which moments you need to take a risk. How calm you can remain under pressure determines the result," Tare observed.
Not just the loss to England, Tare feels that the lack of temperament has led to three losses in a row. The last time India lost three matches in a row in an edition of World Cup was in 1982. He feels that the risky shots, against the run of play cost India dearly.
India still alive in semifinal race
However, India still have a chance to book the fourth spot in the semifinals. They face New Zealand in their next game. If they beat the Sophie Devine-led side, it will increase their chances of making it to last four. Their last league stage game is against Bangladesh who have looked threatening, almost edging past South Africa.
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