New Delhi, Oct. 20 -- Smriti Mandhana couldn't hold back her tears in the dugout after India's heartbreaking loss to England in the ICC Women's World Cup 2025 at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Sunday. Having suffered a three successive defeats, India's road to the semifinals took a hit as they now have to fight with New Zealand for a spot in the last four.

Batting first, England rode on a Heather Knight hundred to reach 288/8 in 50 overs. In reply, India were on a winning position with captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Mandhana, who forged 125 runs for the third wicket. But after Mandhana departed for 88, India suffered a middle-order collapse, despite needing 55 from the last 52 balls.

Needing 14 runs from the final over, India fell four r...