England captain Heather Knight has identified India’s vice captain Smriti Mandhana as a major threat ahead of Sunday’s crucial 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup encounter, admitting that containing the stylish left-hander will be a significant challenge for her side.
After modest scores of 8, 23, and 23, Mandhana returned to form with a fluent 80 against Australia in Visakhapatnam, though India narrowly lost by three wickets. The hosts will be banking on both Mandhana and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur to fire with the bat when they face England in the marquee fixture at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Sunday.
“She hasn’t changed much from when I first played against her, which says a lot considering the fame she enjoys now. She’s still the same old Smriti — humble, grounded, and incredibly hard to keep quiet with the bat. That will be a big challenge for us when we play India,” Knight said.
Reflecting on India’s batting duo, Knight added, “Harmanpreet and Smriti are very different characters — chalk and cheese, really. Harman wears her heart on her sleeve and brings immense passion, energy, and competitiveness. She’s a captain I’ve always respected for how she plays the game and leads her team. India are playing some great cricket at the moment, and Harman will be key for them.”
Knight also recalled her early impressions of Mandhana and praised her composure and humility.
“I remember playing against Smriti in her first ODI series and thinking, ‘Wow, this girl is going to be special.’ Since then, I’ve admired how she’s grown as a batter and how she carries herself with such calmness,” Knight told JioStar.
“That calmness is something I really value as a cricketer. I’ve also seen her evolve as a leader. I’ve played alongside her in England for Western Storm, in Hobart, and later at RCB under her captaincy during a tough first WPL season. She found that year challenging, but I gained a lot of respect for how she bounced back stronger the next season. Smriti’s a proper rock star in India — everywhere she goes, people recognise her — yet she handles it all with remarkable humility,” Knight added.
India had earlier beaten England 2-1 in an away ODI series this year, and England’s vice-captain Nat Sciver-Brunt expects another fierce contest on Sunday.
“With Harmanpreet, you can have a plan, but once she gets into her zone, it almost doesn’t matter — whatever comes her way, she sends it to the boundary,” Sciver-Brunt said. “We’ll have to think deeply about our bowling plans because when she’s in that mode, she’s very hard to stop. India versus England is always a great contest, and the captain-versus-captain battle will be fun to watch.”
Speaking about Mandhana, Sciver-Brunt added, “Smriti is such an elegant batter — so easy on the eye and a joy to watch when you’re not playing against her. Every team has world-class players, and I think this tournament will showcase some incredible talent. Hopefully, we’ll have some thrilling matches that’ll be great for world cricket.”