‘Smriti’s Wicket Was The Turning Point, It’s A Heartbreaking Moment’: Harmanpreet Kaur | Cricket News

India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana

Harmanpreet Kaur’s India suffered another heartbreak in the ongoing ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, losing their third consecutive game in the tournament. A 4-run loss to England on Sunday has put their semi-final qualification in jeopardy. Now they not only need to win their next games – against New Zealand and Bangladesh – by big margins but their fate also depends on the other match results.

A victory looked within reach when Smriti Mandhana was cruising on 88 and India needed just 56 runs off 54 balls with seven wickets in hand. But England staged a remarkable comeback to snatch their fourth consecutive win and secure a semifinal berth alongside Australia and South Africa.

“Smriti’s wicket was the turning point for us. It’s a heartbreaking moment,” Harmanpreet said at the post-match presentation.

India appeared firmly in control while Mandhana and Harmanpreet were at the crease, but once the pair departed, the chase lost its direction. Left-arm spinner Linsey Smith sparked India’s collapse, dismissing the fluent Mandhana against the run of play.

Deepti Sharma’s steady half-century kept India’s hopes alive after Mandhana’s dismissal, but Sophie Ecclestone’s crucial breakthrough—removing the all-rounder in the closing overs—sealed England’s win.

“It (the feeling) is bad because you have put in so much hard work and you kept ticking the box till the end, but the last 5-6 overs didn’t go according to your plan. That’s the worst, but definitely it’s a very heartbreaking moment.”

“We are playing good cricket, we are not giving up. But that last line we have to cross now because it’s been the last three games where we showed up with good cricket,” she said.

India now heads into a must-win clash against New Zealand in Navi Mumbai on Thursday, followed by their final group game against Bangladesh on October 26. They will need victories in both, along with favourable results elsewhere, to stay alive in the tournament.

“The next game is very important,” the India captain added.