Smriti Mandhana Stars but India Suffer Third Consecutive Loss in Women’s World Cup 2025

India Narrowly Lose to England in Indore

India’s Women’s World Cup 2025 campaign hit a tough patch as they suffered a third consecutive loss, falling short by just four runs against England at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore on Sunday, October 19.

Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana top-scored with a brilliant 88 off 94 balls, including eight boundaries, but even her heroics couldn’t pull India over the line in their chase of 289 in 50 overs.

Mandhana, visibly emotional, sat in the dugout as India’s lower order collapsed in the final overs, leaving the team stranded at 287/7.

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Collapse in the Death Overs

India seemed in control after 40 overs, reaching 227/3, needing just 62 runs off 10 overs with seven wickets in hand. Mandhana and Deepti Sharma stitched a 50-run partnership for the fourth wicket, putting India in a strong position.

However, after Mandhana’s dismissal in the 42nd over, the team’s lower order failed to finish the chase:

• Deepti Sharma: 50 off 57

• Richa Ghosh: 8 off 10

• Amanjot Kaur: 18* off 15

• Sneh Rana: 10* off 9

Mandhana took partial responsibility for the collapse, acknowledging the impact of her wicket at a critical juncture.

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Points Table Pressure

The loss leaves India in a precarious position on the points table, ranked fourth with four points from five matches. With two remaining fixtures against New Zealand and Bangladesh, India now face a must-win situation to secure a semi-final berth without relying on other results.

Victory in the last two games is crucial for India to maintain their hopes of progressing in the tournament, or else qualification will depend on the performance of other teams.

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Upcoming Matches:

• Vs New Zealand – Must-win

• Vs Bangladesh – Must-win