India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has labelled her team’s narrow four-run defeat to England in the Women’s World Cup 2025 league stage encounter on Sunday as “heartbreaking,” pinpointing the dismissal of vice-captain Smriti Mandhana as the critical turning point. Despite dominating large parts of the formidable 289-run chase, the co-hosts and pre-tournament favourites once again failed to close out a crucial match, pushing their semi-final qualification hopes to the brink.
Harmanpreet Kaur analyse the pivotal moment in India’s third straight loss
With a fluent Smriti Mandhana batting on 88 and India needing just 56 runs off 54 balls with seven wickets in hand, a comfortable victory seemed assured. However, England’s brilliant fightback, anchored by tight bowling in the death overs, secured their fourth successive win and confirmed their semi-final berth alongside Australia and South Africa.
“Smriti’s wicket was the turning point for us. It’s a heartbreaking moment,” Harmanpreet admitted at the post-match presentation. She highlighted the collective failure in the closing stages, adding, “It’s a bad feeling when you have put so much hard work in but the last 5-6 overs didn’t go according to the plan.”
The crucial shift in momentum began when left-arm spinner Linsey Smith, bowling against the run of play, dismissed Mandhana. The elegant opener, who shared a crucial 125-run partnership with Harmanpreet (70), succumbed to the pressure, trying to clear the boundary and falling victim to a catch in the deep. This breakthrough in the 42nd over, with India just over 50 runs away, proved fatal.
Even a composed half-century from all-rounder Deepti Sharma, who anchored the lower middle-order, wasn’t enough to calm the nerves. England’s bowlers, especially the spinners Linsey Smith and Sophie Ecclestone, executed their plans clinically. Ecclestone sealed the contest by dismissing Sharma in the closing overs, triggering a late-order collapse where India lost wickets in quick succession under immense pressure. The hosts ultimately fell agonisingly short at 284/6.
Harmanpreet was quick to credit the opposition’s tenacity. “Credit to England. They didn’t lose hope, they kept bowling and getting wickets,” she conceded. For India, this defeat is the third in a row, following earlier losses to South Africa and Australia, all of which saw the team flounder from winning positions. Earlier, England’s total of 288/8 was built around a magnificent century (109) from captain Heather Knight in her 300th international appearance.
Must-win clashes define India’s World Cup fate
The persistent inability to “cross the line,” as the Indian captain put it, now leaves the team in a precarious position. The focus immediately shifts to their remaining two group matches, which are now essentially knockout fixtures.
India now faces New Zealand in a high-stakes, must-win clash in Navi Mumbai on Thursday, followed by their final group match against Bangladesh on October 26. Victories in both, combined with a favourable Net Run Rate scenario, are crucial to keep their semi-final hopes alive in the tightly contested tournament. If India wins both matches, they secure their spot. However, any slip-up could see their World Cup campaign end prematurely.
“Next game is very important,” Harmanpreet concluded, acknowledging the urgency of the situation. The Indore heartbreak serves as a stark reminder of the mental fortitude required in high-pressure World Cup encounters, a lesson India must rapidly internalise if they hope to progress to the knockout stages.
This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.
