Smriti Mandhana: Much at stake still for India

The opener hopes her team plays “the kind of cricket that we have been playing for the last year or so” in the third and final ODI against Australia.

Published : Mar 17, 2018 19:27 IST , Vadodara

 Smriti Mandhana was India’s top scorer in the second ODI, with 67.
Smriti Mandhana was India’s top scorer in the second ODI, with 67.
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Smriti Mandhana was India’s top scorer in the second ODI, with 67.

The series may have been lost, but India opener Smriti Mandhana still believes there is much to play for when her team takes on Australia in the third One-Day International here on Sunday. After all, the three-match series is part of the ICC Women’s Championship.

“So two points are at stake,” said Mandhana, who top-scored for the host in its 60-run loss in the second game. “We hope to play in the final match the kind of cricket that we have been playing for the last year or so.”

Read: Ruthless visitors primed for clean sweep

Despite scoring a half-century, Mandhana wasn’t happy with the way she had batted in the second game. “I couldn’t win the match for India, so I don’t think I have found my form,” she said. “Whether you are a bowler or a batswoman, you have to win the match for your team.”

‘Want to make a statement’

Australia has been able to win with considerable ease in the series. Its vice captain, Rachael Haynes, said it would try to make it 3-0.“In the past, we probably let moments like this slip a little bit, so we really want to make a statement,” she said. “To come away from India having won 3-0 against a strong team would be a very positive end to the series for us.”

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