Smriti Mandhana breaks down after India go down to England, takes full ‘responsibility’ for loss; ‘my shot selection…’

Smriti Mandhana couldn’t hold back her tears in the dugout after India’s heartbreaking loss to England in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Sunday. Having suffered a three successive defeats, India’s road to the semifinals took a hit as they now have to fight with New Zealand for a spot in the last four.

Batting first, England rode on a Heather Knight hundred to reach 288/8 in 50 overs. In reply, India were on a winning position with captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Mandhana, who forged 125 runs for the third wicket. But after Mandhana departed for 88, India suffered a middle-order collapse, despite needing 55 from the last 52 balls.

Needing 14 runs from the final over, India fell four runs short. Mandhana’s emotional side was captured on camera after the final ball was bowled. In the video, Mandhana’s head went down with her hand trying to stop the tears from rolling down.

The result put India on the fourth spot in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 points table with Australia, England and South Africa, already cementing their semifinal spots. Earlier, India had lost to South Africa and Australia. The Women in Blue’s only wins came against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in their first two games.

I take responsibility for that: Smriti Mandhana

Following the game, the Indian vice-captain took full responsibility for the loss as the slide started after her dismissal, admitting her shot selection could have been smarter. “Yeah, for sure. I mean, we collapsed, and everyone saw that. I think our shot selections at that stage could have been better,” Mandhana told reporters at post-match press conference.

“Especially since it started with me, I take responsibility for that; my shot selection should have been smarter. We just needed six runs per over, and maybe we should have tried to take the game deeper. So, yeah, I’ll take it on myself because the collapse started from me,” added the southpaw.

What’s next for India in World Cup?

With three losses and two wins in five games, India have two more matches left against New Zealand (October 23) and Bangladesh (October 26). Harmanpreet’s side need to win both the games for a place in the semifinal of the tournament. With three spots already confirmed, the India vs New Zealand clash becomes a virtual quarterfinal.