‘Big relief for sure’: Smriti Mandhana reacts after India storm into Women’s World Cup 2025 semi-finals | Cricket News
India secured their spot in the Women’s World Cup semifinals alongside Australia, South Africa, and England after defeating New Zealand by 53 runs through the DLS method in a rain-affected match.“For sure, it’s a big relief in terms of qualifying. The last three games were really tough. We thought we played some good cricket but just couldn’t win, so this is really relieving,” Mandhana said at the post-match presentation.
India’s vice-captain Smriti Mandhana scored her fifth century of the year with 109 runs, while Pratika Rawal achieved her first World Cup century with 122 runs.The opening pair established a record 212-run partnership for the first wicket, helping India reach 340/3 in 49 overs, their highest World Cup total, exceeding their previous record of 330 against Australia in Visakhapatnam.After another rain delay, New Zealand’s target was adjusted to 325 runs in 44 overs, with the 2000 champions managing 271/8.Mandhana, who received the player of the match award, acknowledged Pratika’s equal contribution to their victory.“Pratika deserved this as much as I do,” she added.“We’ve been asked this question for the last eight months, and I don’t think either of us can answer it perfectly. But we’re similar people — we both just want to do the job for the team. We don’t talk a lot in the middle. She’s a good anchor and really allows me to play my natural game. When she gets going, I can chip in with the anchor role. That really works for us. We understand that when one person is going, the other can just focus on rotating the strike.“India experienced a challenging phase after initial victories against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, suffering losses to South Africa, Australia, and England.“I back myself to play a longer innings once I get to 20. In World Cups, you have to leave a lot of things behind. If you are in form, you need to keep going and not complicate things — that’s what I kept telling myself. I’m feeling good, and that’s what matters,” she stated.Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur discussed the team’s determination to overcome their recent defeats, adding, “Credit goes to the entire team for the way we fought today. We knew how important this game was, the entire team was charged up, and I am happy with how we played today. Credit goes to Smriti and Pratika for the way they took responsibility. We got a very good start.“Whenever you are playing at home, everyone expects a lot from you. As a team, we discuss that this is our home and the crowd is always cheering for us. This is a moment to enjoy rather than just putting pressure on ourselves.”New Zealand’s campaign in the tournament faced significant challenges with three losses in six matches.“We are incredibly disappointed and gutted, not just for ourselves but for our friends and family. Frustrating tournament — would have loved more opportunities to play and with the bat. Credit to them. Target was just too big for us,” said New Zealand captain Sophie Devine.
