Krishnamurthy showers praise on Kaur-Mandhana`s partnership against Pakistan

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In the Women`s T20 World Cup 2026 match against Pakistan, Team India emerged victorious by 64 runs at the Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham.

During the match, Team India`s star opening batswoman Smriti Mandhana and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur stitched a crucial partnership to help the side recover from early loss of wickets.

Mandhana delivered a crucial knock of 68 runs off 44 deliveries, laced with nine boundaries and two maximums, whereas Kaur scored 36 runs in 35 balls, with the help of four boundaries.

Speaking about their partnership, former Team India cricketer Veda Krishnamurthy said that both of them were quick to understand the match`s situation. She heaped praise on Mandhana by saying the left-handed batswoman played the deliveries under the eyes.

“Both of them are experienced enough and were quick to understand the situation. What I liked about Smriti`s batting at the start was that she assessed the wicket in the first couple of overs and realised there was a bit of slowness in the surface. She waited on the back foot and played under her eyes as much as possible,” she said on JioStar.

The former cricketer then said Harmanpreet-Mandhana`s partnership was crucial as it set the base for wicketkeeper-batswoman Richa Ghosh to showcase aggressive batting. Following her explosive batting display, Team India posted a total of 170 runs for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs.

“When Harmanpreet came in, they delayed their onslaught until around the ninth over, when they started finding the boundary regularly. They understood the need to build a partnership at that stage, and once they had done that, you could see the sweep shots coming out. They also used their feet very effectively against both the spinners and the fast bowlers. That partnership was crucial because it set the base for Richa to come in later and score those quick runs,” added Krishnamurthy.

Later, facing just 17 deliveries, Ghosh garnered 34 runs, including five boundaries and a maximum.

Women`s T20 World Cup 2026: Team India`s upcoming match`s date and venue

The “Women in Blue” will now lock horns with the Netherlands on June 17 at the Headingley Cricket Ground in Leeds.

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