Smriti Mandhana breaks down after shocking loss vs England, Harmanpreet Kaur blames her for defeat

India Women's National Cricket Team vice-captain Smriti Mandhana got emotional after the shocking 4-run loss of her team in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 match against England Women's National Cricket Team.

Team India lost the match against Team England from a winning position, and the captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, decided to throw Smriti Mandhana under the bus, blaming her for the defeat.

England stun India in World Cup, Smriti Mandhana devastated

India Women lost the toss and they were invited to bowl first in the match at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. The bowling unit did a great job and restricted the English team to 288/8.

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Chasing the target, India lost Pratika Rawal early, but Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur brought back the momentum towards their team by hitting brilliant fifties.

The chase looked like a cakewalk for India as they needed 57 off 57 balls to win the game, with seven wickets in hand. However, things unraveled in a shocking manner for the hosts as they went from 234/3 to 284/6, handing England a stunning victory.

India choked up and collapsed sensationally to suffer their third straight defeat in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 while England qualified for the semi-finals, joining Australia and South Africa.

As India showcased a horrible performance in the last 10 overs and struggled to win the match, the camera panned towards vice-captain Smriti Mandhana in the dugout, and she was struggling to hold back tears. Smriti Mandhana looked absolutely shattered and devastated seeing India on the verge of a knockout in the home World Cup.

Smriti Mandhana got emotional when India lost the match vs England in women's ICC world cup.💔 pic.twitter.com/R1gBfLJF23

— MANU. (@IMManu_18) October 20, 2025

Also Read: Arshdeep Singh puts Shubman Gill on the same pedestal as Rohit Sharma

"I think Smriti's wicket was something which was a turning point" - Harmanpreet Kaur

Speaking during the post-match presentation ceremony, Harmanpreet Kaur put Smriti Mandhana (88 off 94) under the bus and labeled her dismissal on the second ball of the 42nd over as the turning point of the game. She said:

"I think Smriti's wicket was something which was a turning point for us and I still think we had too many batters. I don't know how things went the other way, but credit goes to England. They didn't lose.

"They kept bowling well and kept getting wickets there. It (the feeling) is bad because you have put in so much hard work and you kept ticking the box till the end, but 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 - Harmanpreet Kaur

Harmanpreet Kaur further stated that they have been playing good cricket in the last few matches, but are failing to cross the finish line. She elaborated:

"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. But unfortunately ended up on the losing side and hopefully the next game is very important for us and we'll cross that line.

"Our bowlers did a really good job because when Nat and Heather were batting, they were looking really good. And we thought if we can get them to less than 300, that's a plus for us because this pitch and the ground is very fast and we can chase, that's why we wanted to bowl first. A lot of things we did right. But again, last five overs, something which again we need to, as a group, sit together and rethink."