India suffered their third consecutive defeat of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup India 2025, falling short against England despite another strong batting performance. Speaking on ‘Rexona Cricket Live’, JioStar experts Mithali Raj and Anjum Chopra reflected on the team’s performance.
Speaking on ‘Rexona Cricket Live’, JioStar expert Mithali Raj spoke about India’s performance:
“I think they were pretty good in the chase. At one point, the equation was under a run a ball. There were very good partnerships, first between Harmanpreet and Smriti, and then between Smriti and Deepti. But the crucial turning point came when Smriti played that shot, followed by Deepti Sharma’s wicket. Those two dismissals were so important because they had rebuilt the innings after losing early wickets in the Powerplay and had put India in control of the chase. When you’re set, you have to be calculated. Yes, take risks, but pick the right balls and the right bowlers. After hitting a boundary off the first ball of that over, Deepti tried to clear the longest boundary and found the fielder. That was disappointing.”
JioStar expert Anjum Chopra shared her perspective on India’s performance:
“It was virtually a run-a-ball equation. You have to understand how much hard work goes into getting your team into such a position. That 125-run partnership between Harmanpreet and Smriti was brilliant. They absorbed pressure and gave India control. But after reaching milestones, the concentration just slipped. Look at Smriti’s innings, from 5 to 50, and then 50 to 85, she was in complete control. That hard work deserved a big, match-winning hundred. We spoke about it after the last match as well. She got 80 against Australia and missed a hundred. Perhaps it’s the pressure of chasing or the desire to finish quickly. The same goes for Deepti. Why play an aerial shot on the biggest boundary against Sophie Ecclestone when it’s not needed? You already have a boundary in the over and Amanjot at the other end. It was unnecessary. Maybe it’s just that extra effort players put on themselves under pressure.”
Anjum also elaborated on Deepti Sharma’s growth and the positives from the game:
“There are a lot of positives. When the team looks back, they’ll see that Deepti, Smriti, and Harmanpreet all contributed significantly. Deepti, in particular, has impressed over the last 12 months. Not only with her batting and bowling, but also her growing understanding of the game. Yes, she couldn’t take India over the line, but the way she carried the innings after Harmanpreet’s dismissal, rotating strike, avoiding risky sweep shots, opening up the off-side field, was impressive. The one major area of concern was fielding. India probably gave away 20–30 extra runs, and if those had been saved, the chase could have been much easier.”
Mithali Raj weighed in on India Captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s form:
“She was taking charge from the moment she came in. She was timing the ball beautifully and looked very confident. Smriti took a bit of time to settle, but Harman was scoring at a run a ball, finding boundaries and rotating the strike well. There was a sense of calmness between them. No panic, no rush. Yes, she may have mistimed that shot and it was a good low catch, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that she’s among the runs, and that’s a very good sign for India.”
Catch Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup India 2025, today, at 3:00 pm, LIVE on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
