Speaking after the game at the post-match presentation, Harmanpreet was clearly heartbroken, and she listed Mandhana’s wicket as the turning point of the game. Harmanpreet (70) was dismissed in the 31st over, while Mandhana (88) gave her wicket away in trying for a big shot in the 42nd over.

Deepti Sharma, who also scored a fifty, failed to see the game through as she departed in the 47th over when the need of the hour called for her to play responsibly and take the team over the line.

“I think Smriti’s wicket was something which was a turning point for us, and I still think we had too many batters. I don’t know how things went the other way, but credit goes to England. They didn’t lose. They kept bowling well and kept getting wickets there,” said Harmanpreet.

“The feeling is bad because you have put in so much hard work and you kept ticking the box till the end, but the last 5-6 overs didn’t go according to your plan. That’s the worst, but it’s definitely a very heartbreaking moment. We are playing good cricket, we are not giving up. But that last line we have to cross now because it’s been the last three games where we showed up with good cricket,” she added.

Jemimah Rodrigues move

The decision to leave Jemimah Rodrigues also came under the scanner, as Amanjot Kaur and Sneh Rana failed to do the job in the end. As a result of leaving out Jemimah, India bolstered its bowling as the hosts brought in Renuka Singh Thakur.

Earlier, Heather Knight slammed a century as England posted 288/8 runs on the board. The loss against the Three Lions was India’s third straight defeat in the tournament, after previously losing encounters against South Africa and Australia.

“These things will keep going because I think things were under control when Smriti and I were batting. And I think Smriti’s wicket was turning for us. But still, we had Richa, Amanjot and Deepti, who have won games for us in the past,” said Harmanpreet.

“But unfortunately, today we were not able to make it. It was a very important match for all of us. We wanted to show good cricket as a group. And unfortunately, in the end, we were not able to make it. Even though we ended up losing, we really played good cricket, and we haven’t given anyone anything easily. But now the next game is very important, and hopefully it will go our way,” she added.

India will now take on New Zealand in a do-or-die encounter at the Dr DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Thursday, October 23.