Mumbai: Indian batsman Smriti Mandana has expressed her willingness to take on more responsibility after India’s group-stage exit from the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England and Wales.
The experienced opener said he is ready to play a bigger role if needed.
“Yes, sure. I’m ready,” said Mandana.
Reflecting on India’s disappointing campaign, Mandana stressed the need for honest self-assessment and long-term planning ahead of the 2028 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
“It’s important to introspect and learn from mistakes. Unfortunately, we don’t learn enough from our past mistakes and keep repeating them.
“Going forward, we need to have a clear map of how we want to approach the format and what we need to do as a team until the 2028 T20 World Cup.”
India’s tour of England, which began at the end of May, ended on a historic note with the first women’s Test at Lord’s, where they cruised to a 270-run victory.
Mandhana described the win as one of the most memorable moments in his career.
“It was amazing to play in the first women’s Test at Lord’s and more importantly to win.
“It was special to contribute to a historic win for India. As kids we all dreamed of playing Test cricket, so to do it at Lord’s was even more memorable.”
The left-handed opener contributed significantly with half-centuries in both innings, while Yastika Bhatia became the first batsman to score a century in a Women’s Test at Lord’s.
Bhatia returned to the national team ahead of this summer’s T20 World Cup after recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury sustained before the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup last year.
Mandana revealed that she supported Bhatia through rehabilitation by sharing her own experience of recovering from a similar injury in 2017.
“Any knee injury is very difficult for a player. In Yastika’s case, it happened before the home World Cup and it became even more difficult,” Mandhana said.
“I told her how my own ACL injury in 2017 helped me grow as a person and as a player. My best cricket came after some setbacks. I felt she would relate to that and stay motivated through the rehabilitation process.”