Despite a series defeat against Australia, Team India's resilience and positive attitude have been lauded by vice-captain Smriti Mandhana. After a valiant effort in the third ODI at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on September 20, 2025, Mandhana emphasized the team's "willingness to win, learn, and grow".
Australia clinched the series 2-1, but the final match was a thrilling encounter filled with record-breaking performances. Australia set a formidable target of 413, powered by Beth Mooney's explosive century (138 off 75 balls) and significant contributions from Georgia Voll (81 off 68) and Ellyse Perry (68 off 72). This score marked Australia's joint-highest total in Women's ODIs and the highest score by any team against India in this format.
India's chase was equally remarkable, with Smriti Mandhana leading the charge with a blistering 125 off 63 balls. Her innings featured 17 fours and five sixes and was the fastest century by an Indian woman in ODIs. She was well-supported by Deepti Sharma (72 off 58) and Harmanpreet Kaur (52 off 35), but India ultimately fell short by 43 runs. India's total of 369 became the highest losing score in Women's ODIs.
Mandhana, who was also named Player of the Series, said that the team's motto was to play an optimistic brand of cricket. "The only thing is not to think about anything, just react to the ball," she stated, adding, "We knew the wicket was good and the outfield was fast, and we'll get value for our shots. You don't have a choice when you're chasing 400, have to play that brand of cricket".
Reflecting on the series, Mandhana highlighted that the series was more about testing combinations and identifying weaknesses ahead of the upcoming Women's Cricket World Cup 2026 than the result itself. "Australia is a great opposition to test ourselves in terms of where we are lacking," she noted. She added that the team would not view the series as a confidence booster or something that didn't work, but rather as an opportunity to understand their strengths and weaknesses.
One area of concern that Mandhana pointed out was fielding. India dropped over 12 catches across the three games, and Mandhana acknowledged the inconsistency in this aspect of their game. "We need to find the consistency in the team in terms of fielding as a unit together and not individual brilliance, so that's one thing which we thought that we have to address before the World Cup," she said.
Despite the series loss and the fielding concerns, both Mandhana and captain Harmanpreet Kaur emphasized the positives from the series. Harmanpreet acknowledged the disappointment of falling short but highlighted the team's overall good performance. "Lots of learning for us," she said. "The way Deepti and Sneh also batted, even the last game, how Sneh batted, and that shows we have depth in our batting and can play our shots. A lot of positive takeaways and learnings. It was a good series. We gave them a tough series".
Mandhana also dismissed any suggestions of over-reliance on her batting, stating that "Everyone in this squad is a match-winner". She cited examples of other players like Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, and Pratika contributing to the team's success.
The series provided valuable lessons and opportunities for growth for Team India. While the defeat was disappointing, the team's fighting spirit, willingness to learn, and positive attitude serve as a strong foundation as they prepare for the Women's Cricket World Cup 2026.
