It has been 12 years since she first donned India colours and, in all these years, Smriti Mandhana has realised one thing: there’s nothing in the world that she loves more than the game of cricket.
“I don’t think I love anything more than cricket. Wearing that Indian jersey is the motivation that drives us. You keep all your problems aside, and that thought alone helps you focus on life,” she said at the Amazon Smbhav Summit in New Delhi on Wednesday.
One of the top names in the Indian women’s squad that made history by winning the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, ace batter Smriti Mandhana recently called off her wedding to musician Palash Muchhal. The ceremony was planned for late November, following a very romantic on-the-field proposal and ring exchange.
However, as per reports, the wedding was cancelled as Smriti’s father fell ill very suddenly. In the aftermath of that cancellation, she gave her first interview on Wednesday. Team India captain Harmanpreet Kaur was also a summit speaker.
Considered India’s greatest left-handed woman batter, Smriti reflected on her journey from making her debut back in 2013 to playing a big role in the team’s World Cup triumph a month ago.
“As a kid, the madness for batting was always there. No one understood it, but in my mind, I always wanted to be called a world champion,” said Smriti, as Harmanpreet sat on the stage with her and with actress-anchor Mandira Bedi.
The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup trophy, she said, felt like a culmination of the team’s long struggle. “This World Cup was the reward for the battle we fought over the years. We were waiting for it so badly. I’ve been playing for more than 12 years — many times, things didn’t go our way. We visualised it before the final, and when we finally saw it on the screen, it gave us goosebumps. It was an incredible, special moment,” said the Indian women’s cricket vice-captain.
The presence of Indian women’s cricket veterans Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami at the final heightened the emotion, said Smriti. “We really wanted to do it for them, badly. Seeing tears in their eyes made it feel like women’s cricket itself was winning. It was a battle won for all of them,” she added.
The World Cup, said Smriti, reinforced two enduring lessons: “You always start an innings at zero, no matter if you scored a hundred before. And don’t play for yourself — that’s what we kept reminding each other.”
—With inputs from CtoI News Desk
