India Women kicked off their preparation for the upcoming 2026 T20 World Cup in a convincing manner with an eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka in Vizag on Sunday. However, the spotlight was on star opener and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, who had a disappointing outing.
First, on the field, she dropped a simple catch at the boundary, which eventually went for a six. Then, with the bat, she had a chance to end the day on a better note. Chasing a modest 122-run target, most fans expected her to stay till the end and finish the game. But during her 25-ball stay, she failed to accelerate. Out of the 25 runs she scored, 16 runs came in boundaries, meaning she managed just nine runs off the remaining 21 balls.
Mandhana struggled to time the ball and find the gaps. As a result, when she went for a release shot against Inoka Ranaweera, she was caught at deep extra cover by Nilakshika Silva. This has been an issue for her for some time now. When opposition teams set specific fields and bowlers do not offer pace or width, she has often struggled to score freely and gets caught while attempting that release shot. The same thing happened in Vizag.
Both Malki Madara and Kawya Kavindi bowled tight lines according to the field placements and did not give her the pace or space to free her arms. On several occasions, Mandhana mistimed her pulls and a few other shots. Even the delivery that got her out followed the same plan. Ranaweera tossed it up outside off, Mandhana failed to generate enough power, and Silva took the catch in the deep.
This pattern is not new. During India’s historic Women’s ODI World Cup triumph last month, Sri Lanka used a similar plan in the tournament opener in Guwahati. Mandhana scored just eight runs off 10 balls and was dismissed while going for a release shot against veteran pacer Udeshika Prabodhani. Vishmi Gunaratne took the catch at deep point. Credit to skipper Chamari Athapaththu and her bowlers for executing the same plan again by not allowing Mandhana to score freely early in her innings.
Mandhana has also struggled against left-arm spinners in recent times. In her last 12 T20I innings, she has been dismissed by spinners seven times (off-spinners – two, left-arm spinners – five). In the ODI World Cup as well, she was dismissed by left-arm spinners four times, including South Africa’s Nonkululeko Mlaba, Chloe Tryon, Australia’s Sophie Molineux, and England’s Linsey Smith. On three of those occasions, it occurred while attempting aerial shots, despite being well set.
Despite having clear intent, misjudgment of length or pace has become an issue. Going forward, she will look to address this. The remaining four matches in the series present a good opportunity, as Sri Lanka are likely to challenge her with spin. Given her quality — the second-highest run-getter in women’s T20Is and having crossed the 4000-run mark in the format — Mandhana is expected to respond with a better approach and improved consistency heading into the mega event in England.
For More Exciting Articles: Follow RevSportz
