Smriti Mandhana provides a massive statement regarding team India’s heartbreaking loss against the West Indies in the second T 20

Smriti Mandhana, India stand-in skipper, could only be disappointed with the below-par showing by her bowlers as Hayley Matthews put them to sword with a blazing 85 not out as West Indies leveled the three-match women’s T20I series with a resounding nine-wicket victory here on Tuesday.

India scored 159 for 9, riding on Mandhana’s 62, but West Indies reached the target with 26 balls left. In all, Indian bowlers conceded 27 boundaries and two sixes, and Mandhana found that unacceptable despite dew setting in to make it difficult for her bowlers to grip the ball.

“I think conditions changed, but we couldn’t execute our plans. There was some dew, but we could have done better as a bowling unit going forward,” Mandhana said at the post-match presentation ceremony. “Value addition comes with learning.” There was a lot of dew, but we can’t complain. We have to come back better in the next game.

She felt that performance from the Indian batters was also not up to the mark.

“The type of shots we would have played in that first game, they weren’t coming off the same tonight. We would have to be a little more sensible and then start launching. We had a good launchpad.”

She also praised Richa Ghosh, whose contribution of 32 runs was scored off just 17 balls, taking the team past the 150 run mark.

“Richa batted really well; we could have scored 10-15 runs more. Even me, getting out at the wrong time, could have stayed (at the crease) much longer. Going forward, we will have to pride ourselves in executing what we want to execute.”

The back 10 overs of Indian batting was marked by the dew, felt Mandhana.

“It (the dew) wasn’t coming that much in the first ten overs of their fielding. Cricket is such a game that you cannot complain. We knew dews were going to come. Have to put our hand up and put around where to bowl when it’s a dew and even better at fielding.”

Having led from the front, Matthews had all reasons to be happy being West Indies skipper.

“We felt that 160 was around par, we were satisfied with what they got at the end. Felt they got about 10 runs too many than we would have liked, but it felt like a really chaseable target,” she said.