‘The match was in our back pockets’ – Amol Muzumdar reflects on painful loss to England

India Women head coach Amol Muzumdar reflected on India Women’s heartbreaking four-run defeat to England Women in the ODI World Cup 2025, admitting the loss was extremely disappointing as the team believed the match was within reach before slipping away at crucial moments.

He acknowledged that the narrow defeat affected the squad emotionally, but emphasised the importance of honest self-reflection and open discussions within the dressing room to learn from the setback and come back stronger in future matches.

“Obivously, I was disappointed with the loss against England; it goes without saying, We were so close, and especially in that game, it felt like the match was completely in our back pockets. When somebody snatches that away from you, it hurts deeply, and I think it affected us in the wrong way. I remember sitting in the dugout and saying that we had put in an honest effort so far. So, let’s have an honest conversation about this,” said Muzumdar on JioStar.

Speaking about the match, England Women held their nerve to defeat India Women by four runs at Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. After winning the toss, England opted to bat first and posted a competitive total of 288/8 in 50 overs. Amy Jones contributed 56 runs, while captain Heather Knight starred with a magnificent 109 off 91 balls, smashing 15 fours and a six. For India, Deepti Sharma impressed with figures of 4/51, while Shree Charani picked up two wickets.

In reply, India Women finished on 284/6 despite strong contributions from opener Smriti Mandhana (88), Harmanpreet Kaur (70) and Deepti Sharma (50). For England, Nat Sciver-Brunt claimed 2/47, while four other bowlers chipped in with one wicket each. Despite the defeat, India Women bounced back brilliantly and later created history by defeating South Africa Women by 52 runs in the final at DY Patil Stadium to win their maiden Women’s ODI World Cup title.