When the team bowls like that, it’s a very pleasing sight to watch – Smriti Mandhana

RCB cruised past UP Warriorz after Grace Harris and Smriti Mandhana made light work of the modest total on the board. Mandhana stayed unbeaten for 54 from just 27 balls, as she scored her 6th half-century for RCB. Talking at the post-match presentation, the RCB captain opened up on the win against the Warriorz while heaping special praise on Nadine de Klerk and Grace Harris.

Talking about the overall turnaround of affairs after Meg Lanning and Deepti Sharma got off to a strong start for UP, Smriti added, “It was brilliant. They started really well with the bat - almost 60-70 without loss - and from there the bowlers made a strong comeback. A special mention to Grace, coming in to bowl for the first time in the tournament and picking up two crucial wickets. Nadine bowled really well again, and honestly, everyone just chipped in and bowled extremely well. When the team bowls like that, it’s a very pleasing sight to watch.”

Stating the changes that RCB worked on ahead of this game, Mandhana added, “Over the last two games, we’ve just told ourselves not to think emotionally or dig a hole for ourselves. We’ve played really good cricket in the first five matches. In tournaments like this, sometimes you have to give credit to the opposition as well - like Nat (Sciver-Brunt) playing a blinder in the previous game. So we reviewed things practically, focused on what we could do better, and worked on that.”

Revealing what was the message that was passed onto the entire team ahead of this entire game, Smriti said, “Honestly, the message was exactly the same as the last few matches - we kept saying we’re just one win away from the final, and nothing changed. The support staff have been very consistent in their messaging, whether we win or lose, and that consistency really helps us as players. For the last three matches, it was always about being one win away, and I’m just happy that today we could get that win and go straight into the final.”

She concluded by talking about the downtime ahead of the final, adding, “Yeah, for sure. The first three or four days, everyone can do what they feel like doing - switch off a bit. Then we’ll come back, train really hard for the final, and be ready. Definitely looking forward to the break.”