The Indian women’s cricket team achieved a historic milestone by winning the World Cup on November 2, and for star batter and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, the triumph was a perfect blend of relief, pride, and overwhelming emotions. Speaking right after the match, Mandhana reflected on her long journey in international cricket, the heartbreaks along the way, and what this victory means for her and the team.
Looking back on more than a decade of representing India, Mandhana spoke about the highs and lows, from early heartbreaks in 2017 against England and 2020 against Australia to multiple semifinal disappointments that motivated her to keep improving. She described the feeling of finally holding the World Cup in front of thousands of fans in her home city.
“As you said, playing international cricket over a decade now, we’ve had 2017 and then 2020, a little bit of heartbreaks, then a lot of semifinal heartbreaks as well, where we thought we could go over the line. Every time that happened, it kind of left a lot of marks within your heart, but there’s only motivation to get better and try and have this ‘champions’ on our chest.
“Really, really happy and proud of the team. As an athlete, it feels amazing because you play cricket for winning the World Cup, right? You dream about that as a kid, and to play in front of 50 plus odd thousand people at your home city and to do it, this makes you really proud of the team. I don’t have words for them,” she said.
Mandhana explained how winning brought a different emotional intensity, one she had never felt before, contrasting it with the motivation she drew from losses. She shared how the camaraderie within the team and the energy of the last 35-40 days contributed to the overwhelming feeling of joy and pride.
“I think today is the next emotion I’ve had on the cricket field, for sure. Whenever we lost a match, I saw a lot of girls crying, but it never really made me emotional because it only motivated me, how do I get better. I knew that winning is going to make me emotional rather than losing. So today, for sure, it felt unreal, and genuinely, we won everything. It was great.
“Looking at the teammates and the way the environment has been in the last 35-40 days, it just made me emotional that this World Cup, or this group of girls, I feel this is the best possible humans together, and something of that sort definitely makes me emotional,” she added.
She also highlighted how the growth of women’s cricket in India has made moments like this possible. The incredible support from fans across the country where cricket is preached, the energy in stadiums, and the sense of pride felt by young girls aspiring to play cricket have all contributed to this historic achievement.
“2017 was a landmark movement for women’s cricket in India, and a lot of people in India understood that there’s a women’s team. They play cricket as well. This World Cup at home, and in the last one and a half months, what we felt in terms of support of people, wherever we played, wherever we went… and today I remember we were stepping into the bus. It was raining a little, but there were thousands of fans cheering for us and wishing us all the luck.
“For women’s cricket, to feel all of this love-and I remember when ‘Maa Tujhe Salaam’ was playing at the ground today-it just felt unreal. As a kid, we’ve seen empty stadiums, but to see a full back stadium and then lift the trophy in front of them, I’m sure it’s going to inspire a lot of young girls to play cricket. I don’t think this team, these girls, will understand the magnitude of the win, but in the coming years, they’ll realise what they have done for women’s cricket.”
Finally, Mandhana shared a personal message to her younger self, reflecting on the passion, dedication, and “madness” for the game that fueled her journey. She emphasized the importance of never losing that drive, regardless of challenges or setbacks.
“My message to my younger self is that whatever madness I had for batting, I would only tell her that one day it’s going to help India in a World Cup. I don’t think anything’s possible without madness. I remember knocking yesterday till 2 a.m. in my room. Be it your younger self, or be it now, you just have to keep the madness going to achieve something. Only message to the younger self is: just keep that madness alive, because growing up, you are going to be called a world cup winner.”
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