On-field conditions were not up to mark in first T20I against England: Smriti Mandhana

London [UK], September 12 (ANI): Following her side's nine-wicket loss to England in the first T20I, Indian batter Smriti Mandhana said that the team had a discussion after their defeat and it is looking forward to coming back harder and matching the standards set as a team.
India suffered a crushing nine-wicket defeat at the hands of England on Sunday in a rain-affected match on the riverside ground, Chester-le-Street.
"As a team, we did have a discussion because we did not play the brand of cricket that we have been playing for the last two months or so. So definitely we were disappointed. We took it as a bad day and we know that we have to come back harder and match the standards we have made for ourselves," said Mandhana at a press conference ahead of the next match, which will take place on Tuesday in Derby.
She added that the team failed as a batting unit between overs 12 to 20.
"Even during Commonwealth Games 2022, during one or two matches, we could not get to the score we aimed for while starting. Hemlata had come back into the team after a long time and Kiran had her debut, we had to give them enough time to showcase their capabilities. We all spoke about the intent of the team," he added.
The batter said that conditions during the first match were not up to the mark to have an international match but the side will not use it as an excuse.
"On-field conditions were not up to the mark during first T20I to hold an international match," she said.
On Nat Sciver's break from cricket and the need for psychologists in team staff raised by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti said, "Harmanpreet made a good point. We had a psychologist named Mughda during the world cup and it helped girls a lot. With the type of schedule we have, it will help a lot if we have a proper mentor or psychologist with the team."
Smriti Mandhana said she is geared up for the busy schedule.
"I am just trying to tell myself that we have not played a lot of cricket and we as players, hoped that we get to play more of it. Now, I cannot be complaining that we have a lot of cricket, we always wanted this schedule as players. I am happy to be playing this much of cricket and having my family over here, helps us stay in a good mindset and teammates have been just as amazing," she said. (ANI)