- By Namrata Vijay
- Wed, 09 Oct 2024 08:23 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Women's T20 World Cup 2024, IND W vs SL W: India's star batter Smriti Mandhana has dismissed issues regarding the team's poor NRR before their group A stage clash against Sri Lanka of the ongoing mega-event. The Women in Blue's stint at the Women's T20 World Cup 2024 has been quite topsy-turvy till now.
Although they did win the match against arch-rivals Pakistan, they still have a poor NRR due to the humiliating defeat they suffered against New Zealand in their tournament opener. There are four teams of the five in Group A, who have two points and the group stage is nearing its thrilling business end, where almost the remaining matches could hugely impact the rankings of the teams.
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side did defeat Pakistan but slowly as they chased down the below-par target of 106 runs in 18.5 overs and couldn't improve their NRR. But Mandhana rued the claims of focussing only on the NRR ahead of their match against Sri Lanka.
"It [NRR] was playing in our minds last match against Pakistan. But the conditions here in UAE are quite different, and scoring quickly isn't as easy as it may seem", Mandhana told reporters in the pre-match press conference.
She also highlighted that their main aim is to win matches instead of being bothered by their NRR situation. "It's always a balance between doing what's best for the team and what we can do in terms of NRR. I started fine in the last game but then consumed too many dot balls, which was frustrating," she revealed.
"We can't go into a match thinking we're just going to attack and cruise. The conditions and outfield are tough. Winning is our priority, not thinking too much about NRR in these situations. The group is tricky, but it's still early in the tournament. We are taking it one day at a time", she added.
In what is some relief to the Indian women's team, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who sustained a neck injury in the high-octane clash against Pakistan, has recovered well in time and will be leading the team from the front. But uncertainty looms large around Vastrakar's availability, who also didn't feature in the clash against Pakistan owing to injury. A final call will be made on her availability on Wednesday morning.
The Indian team also underwent some changes in the batting lineup in the ongoing mega-event. Captain Kaur came into bat at No.3 in the tournament opener against New Zealand whereas Jemimah batted at that position in the match against Pakistan. Mandhana revealed that these changes were made due to match conditions.
"The wicket and ground conditions were different from what we expected. The No.3 role will depend on who we're playing and what the match situation demands", she concluded.
India's match against Sri Lanka is very important. Only two teams will qualify for the semis, so all the runs scored and all the matches played will play a huge role in the next few days.
