After India women sealed their first T20I series in England with a match to go, star batter Smriti Mandhana lauded the team's all-round show in the series so far and said there was hunger in everyone's eyes, which was reflected in their performance.
India made history at Old Trafford on Wednesday night by winning the fourth T20I by six wickets. In the match, Deepti Sharma had become only the second Indian woman to reach 300 international wickets after Jhulan Goswami.
"The way our bowlers bowled in all four matches. Even in the third T20, the way they came back. They restricted them in the last 4-5 overs and gave them 25-odd runs. They were clear about the fielding. I would really put it down to these two aspects.
Because the kind of clarity and the kind of fielding everyone's done," Mandhana said in a video shared by BCCI on its social media. "Everyone's looking definitely a lot fitter. So I would just say that 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 have come and bowled here makes me really happy. "Everyone was really pumped. Everyone was ready to go. We were just waiting for the time to click.
Sometimes you kind of get that vibe that everyone's tuned in. That hunger was there in everyone's eyes. And I think that really reflected in the performance," she added. India defeated England in the first-ever T20I contest between the two sides in 2006 but hadn't won an away T20I series against them until the victory at Old Trafford."
We had a chat in the huddle that we are closer to creating history in terms of that we have never beaten England in a T20I series, and that too at their home. I am really pleased with the way everyone performed. It's amazing what these girls have achieved,' Mandhana said.
Head coach Amol Muzumdar also reflected on the win and dedicated it to the nation for the constant support. "It's amazing what these girls have achieved... a fantastic feeling... that too at Old Trafford, a historic ground. It's a lovely feeling to be a part of. We would like to dedicate this series win to the entire nation," he said.