ENG-W vs IND-W 2025: Smriti Mandhana credits bowling, fielding for series win over England

Team India’s vice-captain Smriti Mandhana appreciated her team's bowling and fielding efforts as the main reasons behind their historic T20I series win over England. The Women in Blue secured a six-wicket victory in the fourth T20I at Old Trafford on Wednesday, taking a 3-1 lead in the five-match series.

With one game still to go, the visitors have already registered their maiden T20I series win on English soil. Mandhana emphasized how the team executed their plans, especially in the bowling and fielding departments. 

"The way our bowlers performed in all four matches, even in the third T20, their comeback was remarkable. They restricted England in the last 4-5 overs, conceding only around 25 runs. They were clear about their fielding. I would put it down to these two aspects... the kind of clarity and the kind of fielding everyone's done," Mandhana said in a video shared by BCCI on its website.

Everyone is definitely looking much fitter now: Mandhana

Radha Yadav and Shree Charani delivered brilliant spells, sharing four wickets between them to restrict England to 126/7. Deepti Sharma became only the second Indian woman after Jhulan Goswami to claim 300 international wickets, surpassing Pakistan’s Nida Dar to become the leading wicket-taker among women’s T20I spinners. Mandhana pointed out the fitness discipline within the squad.

"Everyone is definitely looking much fitter now. I would just say a lot of credit goes to them. I just feel like they were under a lot of pressure coming into the series, but the way they came and bowled here makes me very happy. Everyone was really pumped. Everyone was ready to go. We were just waiting for the right moment. Sometimes, you kind of get that vibe that everyone's in tuned in. There was a hunger in everyone's eyes, and I believe it truly showed in our performance," she added.

Who will win today’s 5th T20I match between ENG-W and IND-W?

Read More

Who will win today’s 5th T20I match between ENG-W and IND-W?

Meanwhile, India’s chase was anchored by a start from openers Shafali Verma and Mandhana herself, who stitched 56 runs in just seven overs. Shafali smashed three boundaries in one over off Lauren Filer. Despite a middle-overs collapse, Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur stitched together an important partnership that guided India home with 18 balls to spare. Mandhana also revealed that the team was well aware of the opportunity to create history before the fourth match. 

"We discussed in the huddle that we were on the verge of making history, as we had never beaten England in a T20I series on their home turf. I am extremely pleased with everyone's performance. It's amazing what these girls have accomplished," the southpaw concluded.