Smriti Mandhana has asserted that the gap between India and Australia in women's cricket has narrowed considerably, attributing this progress to increased exposure from leagues such as the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) and the Women's Premier League (WPL). Speaking to reporters on the eve of a crucial ICC Women's T20 World Cup Group A match at Lord's in London, Mandhana emphasized that matches between the two sides are now decided by which team performs better on the day, rather than any clear difference in quality.
Narrowing the Gap Through Leagues and Consistency
Mandhana highlighted that India's steady improvement over the past five to six years has been instrumental in closing the gap. "I feel the gap has definitely narrowed with a few of our players playing the Big Bash [WBBL], them playing the WPL, and their experiences being shared," she said. "And I feel the kind of cricket the Indian team has played in the last four-five years... it was a build-up over the last five-six-odd years, how steadily I think we've played. And definitely, of course, that gap has narrowed down, and I just feel now at this moment, especially in T20 cricket, it's just about whichever team is having a good day is going to win the match."
Must-Win Clash at Lord's
The upcoming match against Australia is a must-win for India to secure a spot in the semi-finals. India will draw confidence from their 2-1 T20I series triumph over Australia earlier this year on Australian soil. After the series was locked at 1-1, India sealed the decider in Adelaide, with Mandhana scoring a match-winning 82 off 55 balls to earn the Player of the Match award.
Confidence from Recent Success and WPL Experience
Mandhana believes the team can leverage its recent T20 success in Australia. "Yeah, we did well in the T20 format in Australia. We'll take a lot of confidence from that," she said. She also credited the WPL for helping Indian players handle high-pressure situations better: "With the WPL, I feel the girls are very well-prepped in terms of taking the high-pressure games a little better than we could before. So hopefully we can take all of those experiences and memories and play the best we can tomorrow."
Focus on Processes and Hard Work
Acknowledging the significance of the clash, Mandhana stressed the team's focus on sticking to its plans. "We are all really looking forward to it. A very important match for us, a must-win for us to go through. Having said that, we'll stick with the processes. We'll go out there, work hard, work really hard, and try to put up the best we can," she concluded.
