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NZW vs INDW | Smriti Mandhana heaps praises on Harmanpreet Kaur and bowlers, post-solitary victory

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As India beat New Zealand in the fifth and final match of the ODI series, it seems things are finally moving progressively. With the Women's ODI World Cup about to start, the team needed a boost, which eventually came in the dead rubber.


Even though the series was lost, India gathered a positive in the form of much-needed runs coming from the bat of Harmanpreet Kaur. The star batter played a 63-run knock and lent huge support to her side's comfortable win.


Opener Smriti Mandhana was one of the few who tested positive within the Indian camp. She did not take much time adjusting to the conditions and smashed 71 runs against New Zealand during the final ODI. Reflecting upon the same, Mandhana spoke about the tough period the team went through.

"It has been a tough month for us as a team and for the three of us who were in quarantine (Renuka and Meghna Singh being the other two). It is good to be back in the open air, play some cricket and contribute for India," Mandhana spoke during the post-match press conference.

Mandhana shared details of his vital partnership with Harmanpreet and mentioned the value of runs coming from her bat. 


"I was just happy to watch that from the other end. For the team going into the World Cup, it was really important that both of us score and get confidence with all other batters," she added.


Further, the Mumbai-born asserted that the team does not pay attention to "outside noise".

"I think all the girls are really disconnected from the outside noise. Everyone was really positive when we joined the team later. All were keen to go out and work hard. This win is going to give us a boost," the southpaw claimed.

Things panned out differently from the other matches of the series as the Indian bowlers came to the team's rescue and bundled out the hosts for just 251 runs. 

"The bowlers did amazing today. Bowled as per plan. It was good to see. Overall in the series, it has been tough conditions to bowl in, flat wickets and good outfield. It took a while for them to figure out how to bowl in these conditions,"

"The bowling partnerships were amazing today, especially between 20-40 overs, something we were lacking," Mandhana mentioned further. 

The Blue Brigade will now be seen in action in the upcoming Women's ODI World Cup. The action kicks off with the first match of the tournament, scheduled against clash-rivals Pakistan on March 6.

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