Smriti Mandhana shared her thoughts on how she inspired Team India to secure a long-awaited victory in a Women’s T20I series on home ground. After five years of trying, India managed to clinch a series win by defeating Hayley Matthews’ West Indies by 60 runs on December 19. This victory marked the end of a five-series drought since their last home win in September 2019.
In the series, India started strong with a convincing 49-run win but faced a setback in the second match, where they lost by nine wickets. The third and final game saw India produce their best performance yet, scoring 217 runs for four wickets, while limiting the West Indies to 157 runs for nine wickets.
Reflecting on the team’s motivation, Mandhana remarked during the post-match ceremony, “After the last match, I reminded the girls that it has been five years since we last won a T20I series. That doesn’t show the true potential of our team. I told them that we had a chance today, and we should keep focusing on doing things the right way.”
Mandhana also praised young player Raghvi Bist, who made a notable contribution with an unbeaten 31 runs off 22 balls, including two fours and a six. Mandhana expressed admiration for Raghvi’s confident batting, saying, “The way Raghvi played was remarkable. She approached her innings with great intent, hitting a six on her fourth or fifth ball. I couldn’t have done that in my second match.”
Another standout player was Richa Ghosh, who matched the record for the fastest fifty in Women’s T20Is, scoring it in just 18 balls, equaling the achievement of Sophie Devine and Phoebe Litchfield. Mandhana acknowledged her impressive performance, saying, “Richa’s innings was incredible, just like it was the other day, though we couldn’t celebrate it due to the result.”
After the T20I series, the Indian women’s cricket team is gearing up to face the West Indies in a three-match ODI series starting December 22.
