Indian batting star Smriti Mandhana recently opened up on captaincy aspirations after the epic Lord’s Test win over England. The 29-year-old, incidentally, was playing her 300th game for the national side and made it a match to remember. Mandhana scored 88 and 70 runs in the game that saw the visiting side win by 270 runs.
When asked by TOI if she was ready to lead India if asked, the player replied, “Yes. Of course. I am ready.” Harmanpreet Kaurdespite the high of winning the Test match, has been called out for India’s failure to qualify for the T20 World Cup semi-finals. The Women in Blue began their campaign with wins over Pakistan and the Netherlands but lost against South Africa.
After beating Bangladesh in their fourth match, the current ODI World Cup winners had to beat Australia in their last league match. However, the Loss in that game meant that it was the Proteas who made it to the knockout stage of the event and ensured India’s early exit. Indian opener had a great tournament with the bat, scoring 205 runs with an average of 41.
The batter was asked to comment on India’s early exit from the 2026 tournament. “It is important to learn from our mistakes, which we haven’t, and have repeated them. We need to have a clear roadmap before the 2028 T20 World Cup and how the team will approach the format.”
‘Lord’s Test win is special’ – Smriti Mandhana
The win at Lord’s will be spoken of for years to come. Apart from the batter’s twin fifties, Kranti Gaud and Yastika Bhatia were also impressive. Both players had seen their names being etched on the Lord’s Honours board. Gaud had taken a fifer in the first innings, while Bhatia scored a masterful ton in the second innings.
“It was amazing to be part of the first-ever women’s Test at Lord’s and also win it. Contributing to the win was special, as kids we all dreamt of playing the test format and to win at Lord’s made it even more memorable,” she concluded.
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