Smriti Mandhana praises Sophie Devine's impact on world cricket before India-NZ showdown

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 22 (ANI): Ahead of the ICC Women's 2025 clash between India and New Zealand, opener and right-hand batter Smriti Mandhana praised White Ferns captain Sophie Devine for her remarkable impact on world cricket.

The scramble for the final semifinal spot in the ongoing Women's World Cup would continue as both India and New Zealand play a must-win clash at DY Patil Stadium on Thursday. India is in fourth place with two wins and three losses, facing a troublesome time after losing three games straight to South Africa, Australia, and England, with their last loss being a four-run defeat, despite the run-rate looking very much in control.

NZ has four points and is in fifth place with a win, two losses and two no results in the tournament so far. Washouts have not helped the 2000 edition champions at all.

Speaking to JioStar while recalling Devine's explosive fastest 50 against India at Chinnaswamy Stadium as a teenager, Mandhana said, "Whenever we are playing against Sophie Devine, it's like drop anyone but do not drop Sophie. I remember watching her as a 17-18-year-old when she hit the fastest 50 against India at Chinnaswamy. I took a photo with her so that I could compare my muscles with hers, and I want to hit sixes like her. She's left a legacy behind for New Zealand and world cricket."

Further, Sophie Devine also spoke about the challenge of playing against Smriti Mandhana.

"Honestly, I have so much respect for Smriti and what she goes through daily--the fans and all the support she has. Her ability to remain calm and consistent is remarkable. Watching her at training and seeing how thorough she is with her preparation and batting gives me a new level of respect. As an opposition captain, it's tough because there aren't too many weaknesses, but that's what makes it exciting--you want to compete against the best players in their best form. She's probably the most in-form player in the world at the moment. I'm looking forward to taking them on in Mumbai. Hopefully, we have a few New Zealand supporters, though I'm pretty sure we'll be outnumbered--but it'll still be a really awesome occasion," the all-rounder added.

Squads:

New Zealand Women: Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine (c), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Isabella Gaze (wk), Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Bree Illing, Eden Carson, Lea Tahuhu, Hannah Rowe, Polly Inglis, Bella James.

India Women: Pratika Rawal, Smriti Mandhana, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (w), Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani, Renuka Singh Thakur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Uma Chetry. (ANI)

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