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[Watch] 4, 6, W - Smriti Mandhana's Fireworks End In Heartbreak Against West Indies

Jatin

Smriti Mandhana was dismissed for 62 [Source: @21OneTwo34/x.com]Smriti Mandhana was dismissed for 62 [Source: @21OneTwo34/x.com]

When Smriti Mandhana walks out to bat, you know the fireworks aren’t far behind. The Indian opener and stand-in skipper was at it again, leading from the front in the second T20I against West Indies Women at the DY Patil Sports Academy.

Smriti Mandhana Goes Berserk Before an Unlucky Dismissal

She looked unstoppable, seeing the ball like a football and smashing it all over the park. But cricket can be cruel, and just when she was setting the stage on fire, her innings came to an abrupt end.

It was the 14th over, and Hayley Matthews was at the receiving end of Smriti Mandhana’s brilliance. By then, Mandhana was already in cruise control, having brought up her second consecutive fifty of the series. The way she was batting, you could tell she wasn’t done yet.

The third ball of the over was a loosener, and Mandhana pounced on it. With that trademark elegance, she smashed it to deep square leg for a boundary. Now, when Mandhana’s in the mood, she doesn’t stop at boundaries.

On the very next ball, she took things up a notch. Matthews sent one short, and Mandhana, in complete control, sent the ball sailing over deep square leg for a six.

But cricket has a funny way of turning the tables. Just when Mandhana had the bowlers dancing to her tunes, she tried to get cheeky. On the fifth ball of the same over, Mandhana shuffled across the crease, looking to play an inventive scoop.

But Hayley Matthews had the last laugh. The ball didn’t quite come on as she expected, and instead of racing away, it lobbed straight into the hands of the short fine leg fielder.


The crowd fell silent for a second. Mandhana stood there, disappointed, before trudging back to the pavillion. Her knock ended at 62 off 41 balls, a classy innings laced with nine boundaries and one six. It was an innings full of intent, but her attempt to outsmart the bowler cost her dearly.

India Looking for a Strong Finish

At the time of writing this article, India Women are 110/5 after 15 overs. Mandhana has done her part, but now the onus lies on Richa Ghosh and Sajeevan Sajana to finish big. With five overs to go, the duo will look to steady the ship and push India towards a competitive 160-plus total.