London, June 28 (IANS) India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana credited skipper Harmanpreet Kaur for lifting the team to a competitive total after the captain’s explosive half-century powered India to 170/4 against Australia in their final Group stage match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 at Lord’s Cricket Ground on Sunday.

After India made a steady start through Mandhana and Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet took charge in the closing stages, smashing an unbeaten 56 off just 26 deliveries, including three consecutive sixes in the final over, to give India a strong total in their must-win encounter.

Praising her captain’s innings, Mandhana said Harmanpreet’s late acceleration helped India reach the score they had targeted before the start of the match.

“Harman did really well to get us to 170. This is the score we were looking at at the start. The way she batted, especially in the last over, it was a brilliant knock by her,” Mandhana said during the innings break.

Mandhana also felt the Lord’s surface was not the easiest to bat on and believed India’s total was around par despite the late flourish.

“It wasn’t an easy wicket. We felt 170 was a good score and probably around par. The pace bowlers didn’t get a lot of assistance at the start, but anything straight down the ground was a good option,” she added.

Earlier, Mandhana and Shafali Verma provided India with a solid start, adding 66 runs for the opening wicket. Shafali scored 34 before being dismissed by Australia captain Sophie Molineux, while Mandhana made 38 from 37 deliveries, striking six boundaries before being run out following a mix-up with Jemimah Rodrigues.

Asked about the unfortunate dismissal, Mandhana chose not to dwell on the incident.

“Yeah, I mean, it happens. That’s part of the game. We moved on pretty quickly,” she said.

India will now look to defend 170 and secure a place in the semi-finals, while Australia, already through to the knockout stage, needs 171 runs for their fifth successive victory in the tournament.

–IANS

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