Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana [Source: AFP]India crashed out of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup on Sunday evening as they took on Australia in the do-or-die encounter at Lord’s.Harmanpreet Kaur was in the thick of things once again against Australia, with a clutch innings of 56 off 27 to help India add some crucial runs to their total. However, the Fifty-Over World Cup winners from 2025 failed to restrict arguably the most dominant women’s team in Australia, under 170 as they avenged the 2025 semi-final defeat.Harmanpreet Kaur reacts to India’s loss vs AustraliaSpeaking about the defeat, Kaur thought India had enough total on the board after her three sixes in the final over off Sophie Molineux. Nonetheless, Kaur also admitted to failing to perform against big teams throughout the competition.“I think, end of the day, we got a decent total on the board. When we were batting, I thought we were a little short, but in the last over, I thought I did the job for us. But we didn't play well. I think they were looking for the runs but didn't get them. Australia bowled well. Through the tournament, we didn't play well against good teams,” she said.The skipper further spoke about her record while playing against Australia, revealing that the best opponents bring out the best in her. However, she believes that as a group, they need to regroup and work on things, especially when it comes to grabbing the moments when they are dominating the game.“Against the best teams, your best comes out, and they are one of the best teams in the world and pushing us to get to their level. Today we were in the game for quite some time, but I think we didn't play to our standards, and as a group, we really need to rethink a lot of things," she added.Also Read: Players Who Can Replace Harmanpreet Kaur As India's T20 Captain After T20 World Cup 2026India’s disappointing T20 World Cup campaignHeading into the tournament, India were among the top contenders to have a deep run into the tournament, especially after their big World Cup win at home in 2025. But they were a part of a deadly group, consisting of two quality sides, Australia and South Africa.They reached England well in advance of the tournament and played a series against the hosts as well. However, as the tournament commenced, India only managed to defeat Pakistan, the Netherlands and Bangladesh from their group.The Women In Blue lost both their four-pointer matches against South Africa and Australia, who were the contenders to reach the semi-finals. South Africa convincingly chased 159 against India by 6 wickets, while Australia chased 171 in their last match.Regardless of the results, Shree Charani, with 14 scalps, is the highest wicket-taker of the competition, while Smriti Mandhana, with 205 runs in 5 innings, is the third-highest scorer behind Danni Wyatt-Hodge (282) and Darvey Carter (208).Time up for captain Harmanpreet Kaur?For several multi-nation tournaments, Harmanpreet Kaur has been under the pump due to India’s lacklustre performances across both ODI and T20I World Cups. Additionally, as she approaches 38, India would ideally look for a successor, as they did with Mithali Raj and Kaur as well.As things stand, there is no official word on her future as the captain, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Smriti Mandhana eventually takes up the responsibility from the fresh cycle.Also Read: Watch- Ben Stokes Gets Special Guard Of Honour In His Final International Appearance
