“Heartbreaking Loss”: Harmanpreet Kaur On India’s Narrow Defeat To England In Women’s World Cup
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur called the team’s four-run loss to England “heartbreaking” after failing to close out a game they controlled for most of the contest in their Women’s World Cup group match in Indore on Sunday.
Chasing 289, India were cruising at 232/3 with Smriti Mandhana batting brilliantly on 88 and just 56 needed off 54 balls. But once Mandhana fell to left-arm spinner Linsey Smith, the collapse began. England rallied to snatch victory, securing their fourth straight win and sealing a semifinal spot alongside Australia and South Africa.
“It felt under control when Smriti and I were batting. Her wicket was the turning point. It’s heartbreaking,” Harmanpreet said during the post-match presentation.
Despite contributions from Deepti Sharma, who scored a composed fifty, Sophie Ecclestone’s breakthrough in the final overs ended India’s hopes. Earlier, England captain Heather Knight anchored their innings with a superb 109 as they posted 288/8. India finished at 284/6.
Harmanpreet admitted the final phase undid all the good work:
“We put in so much effort, but the last 5-6 overs just didn’t go to plan. We still had batters left, but things slipped away. Credit to England for hanging in and taking wickets.”
This was India’s third consecutive defeat after losing to South Africa and Australia—games where they also held strong positions before faltering late.
“We’re playing good cricket and not giving up, but we have to learn to finish games. The bowlers did well even when Heather was batting. We did a lot right, but we need to rethink the last overs,” she added.
India must now win their remaining group matches—against New Zealand in Navi Mumbai on Thursday and Bangladesh on October 26—and hope other results go their way to stay in contention.
“Next game is very important,” Harmanpreet said.
England Reflects on the Win
Player-of-the-Match Heather Knight admitted England had aimed for 300 but was pleased her knock proved match-defining.
Smith, who took Mandhana’s key wicket, called the night “special” and praised the team’s fight and clarity under pressure.
News Source : Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
