Mandhana: ‘We are still better than what we have been playing’

The chatter surrounding India’s No. 3 slot has taken another twist, with Smriti Mandhana saying that the batter will be chosen based on the conditions and match situation.

“The wicket condition and ground conditions are a lot different to what we thought when we came here,” Mandhana, India’s vice-captain, said on Tuesday. “It just depends on the match situation, who we are playing, how the wicket is playing, and what score we are chasing as well. I think that also is a big consideration. I wouldn’t say that it was all planned.”

Harmanpreet, who has been cleared of any major injury after leaving the field with a neck sprain in India’s previous game, batted at No. 3 in both the warm-ups as well as in the opening game against New Zealand. On Sunday, against Pakistan, India sent in Jemimah Rodrigues in a chase of 106 after a slow start. Harmanpreet slotted in at No. 4. Of the players in the squad, Yastika Bhatia is another option for the spot.

Mandhana suggested that while conditions in the UAE have been challenging, the difference between batting in an afternoon game (vs Pakistan) and an evening game (vs New Zealand) wasn’t all that much, especially with dew yet to become a massive factor.

“Except the New Zealand match, we haven’t seen any team go over 140 in the whole tournament – 135-140 – be it a day game or a night game. It says a lot about the conditions,” she said, prior to the start of Australia’s game on Tuesday when they made it to 148. “I wouldn’t say it changes massively in terms of the wicket or the conditions, the outfield especially. Yes, the heat is a lot more.

“But yeah, I think [when] we came here, for the first two-three days, we felt a lot hotter, but now I think it’s gotten better. It feels more like Indian conditions now. So it’s not as bad as we thought. Even in the last match, we thought it would be a lot hotter than it was actually when we were playing. I wouldn’t say it changes a lot. Definitely maybe 10 or 15 runs here and there depending on how you bat, but yeah, that’s it.”

“I think the brand of cricket which we want to play, I would say that in the first match we could not do that. Even in the second match, I wouldn’t say we played 100% of our cricket”

Smriti Mandhana

India’s cautious approach with the bat against Pakistan, in particular, has led to questions about whether they were even thinking about a possible net run-rate scenario where three teams in their group might be tied on points at the top. Mandhana said points on the board were most important.

“That’s the first priority for us,” she said. “I think it’s a balance between trying to find out what’s the best for the team. Of course, in the last match, I started off fine, but then later I consumed a few dot balls, which was a little irritating for me. But yeah, having said that, I think as batters we have to be really smart. We can’t just go out there thinking that we are going to take on this bowling line-up and we are just going to cruise, because of course the conditions and the outfield is a lot different.

“So yeah, I think we have to keep that net run-rate in mind, but first is of course winning the match and definitely then going on and thinking about the net run-rate. Of course, the group is definitely a lot tricky. But it’s just the start. I think we don’t want to go ahead thinking a lot about what will happen but one day at a time, and if at all [against Sri Lanka] there’s a place where we think about the net run-rate, of course we’ll be trying to get it first. But I think the win is the priority.”

Before the tournament, it was assumed that the Asian teams would find the conditions in Dubai and Sharjah more to their liking than, say, New Zealand, who beat India handsomely in their contest.

“I’m sure the first match didn’t go the way we planned. But, having said that, we won’t shy away from taking that responsibility that we did not step up to play good cricket on that particular day,” Mandhana said. “As a batting order, as a bowling unit, I think we couldn’t do it. We had that one-off bad day where sometimes you just come and want to do everything but you’re not able to get over the line.

“Having said that, I don’t think that it’s just the Asian teams that are not able to adjust to the conditions. I’m sure that in the other teams as well, it’s not like they have scored 170-odd.

“But yeah, I think the brand of cricket which we want to play, I would say that in the first match we could not do that. Even in the second match, I wouldn’t say we played 100% of our cricket. I’m sure we are still better than what we have been playing. In these conditions, you have to understand your cricket very well, be very smart, and know what shots to play and which shots to play. So I don’t see any difference in Asian teams and other teams.”