England's Heather Knight Discusses Challenge of Facing Smriti Mandhana

Speaking to JioStar, England Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt reflected on the challenge of facing India’s star duo - Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana:

“With Harmanpreet, if you put one plan in place for her batting, she can easily get into the zone where that doesn’t really matter, whatever’s coming down will go to the boundary anyway. We’ll have to do a lot of thinking when we come up against her, because if she’s in that zone, she’s very difficult to stop. India vs England is always a great competitive match, and Captain versus Captain will be fun as well. Smriti, meanwhile, is such an elegant batter, very easy on the eye and a joy to watch when you’re not playing against her. Every team has brilliant batters, and I think this tournament will be full of quality. Hopefully, we’ll have some great matches, which will be exciting for world cricket.”

Heather Knight looked back on her long-standing on-field match-ups and friendships with Indian stars Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur:

“I remember playing against Smriti in her first ODI series. When I saw her playing, I thought, ‘Wow, this girl is going to be quite good.’ Since then, I’ve admired how she’s progressed as a batter and how she’s always carried herself with such calmness. That calmness is something I also value as a cricketer, and I have a huge amount of respect for her. I’ve seen her grow as a leader as well. I played with her in England for Western Storm, in Hobart, and later at RCB under her captaincy in what was a really tough first WPL season for us. She found that year difficult, but I gained a lot of respect for how she came back stronger the next season and found her feet. Smriti is a proper rock star in India. Just being around her and seeing how many people recognise her is crazy, but she deals with it all while staying humble. She hasn’t changed much from when I first played against her, which says a lot considering the level of fame she has now. She’s still the same old Smriti. She’s also incredibly hard to keep quiet with the bat, which will be a big challenge for us when we play India. Harmanpreet and Smriti are very different characters; chalk and cheese, really. Harman wears her heart on her sleeve. She brings passion, energy, and competitiveness. She’s a captain I’ve respected for how she plays the game and takes people along with her. It’s going to be a tough test against India; they’re playing really well at the moment, and Harman will be key for the Indian team.”

Sophie Ecclestone spoke on her close professional bond with Deepti Sharma and her long-standing on-field battles with Smriti Mandhana:

“Deepti is a great player. We’ve grown up together on the circuit, played against each other a lot, and now also played together at UP Warriorz. I’ve seen her grow as a player, as an all-rounder, and as a leader. Hopefully, she doesn’t take many wickets against us, but I expect her to have a great tournament. Smriti and I have grown up playing against each other too. She knows my game and I know hers. Whoever comes out on top will be really happy, and there will definitely be big celebrations if I manage to get her wicket this time.”

England Head Coach Charlotte Edwards praised the Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur’s leadership and composure:

“I’ve absolutely loved my time at the Mumbai Indians, especially working very closely with Harmanpreet Kaur. She’s fantastic to work with, very calm, which I think is really important in franchise cricket. She’s an incredible player, and in big matches, she really steps up. Now, of course, I’ll be on the other side and have to plan against her. I still wish her and her team well, though. This World Cup is going to be a fantastic event for everyone, and probably the best World Cup we’ll see, because the competition is really high. Harman has been a wonderful player to work alongside and watch progress. She played some important roles for them this summer against us in England. She’s a fine talent, who has really flourished with Mumbai Indians and in the WPL”