A colossal semi-final awaits India, setting them against the all-conquering Australians. As the nation holds its breath for a historic World Cup final berth, all hope and immense pressure rest squarely on the graceful yet powerful shoulders of star opener Smriti Mandhana.
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Mandhana’s form over the last year has been nothing short of stupendous, establishing her as the best in women's cricket. While the start of the ongoing ICC Women's ODI World Cup 2025 saw a small slump in her scoring, the true champion player that she is quickly found her rhythm again. She has brilliantly bounced back in the important latter matches, demonstrating her class with back-to-back high scores, including a powerful 80, a stylish 88, and a magnificent 109 to seal India's semi-final spot against the Kiwis.
Now, this crucial return to form must carry an even greater burden. With the unfortunate injury ruling out key opening partner Pratika Rawal, Mandhana is the one who will be looked at with the responsibility of providing a winning platform at the top against the mighty Aussies and arguably against the world's toughest bowling attack.
But one cannot ignore the persistent and painful truth, that being Mandhana's poor record in knockouts. Her past knockout innings tell a worrying story across both ODI and T20 World Cups. From scores of a painful 6 and a 0 in the 2017 ODI World Cup knockouts, to just 11 in the 2020 T20 World Cup Final and a devastating 2 in the 2023 T20 World Cup Semi-final.
Smriti Mandhana has often gone silent when the lights were the brightest. Even her highest score in a previous semi-final remains a modest 34 (coming in the T20 WC 2018 Semis). The collective failure in these clutch moments has led many to believe she is not a "big game player."
But Mandhana is a different batter today, leading the run-scorers chart and playing arguably the best cricket of her life. Can she finally shed the tag of the knockout underperformer against Australia? Will the stars align for Smriti Mandhana when the nation needs her more than ever before? The fate of India’s World Cup Final dream hangs in the balance.
