Indian women’s cricket vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, the 29-year-old left-handed opening batter, has become the epicentre of an online firestorm after viral photos from a Bengaluru brand event sparked body-shaming trolling.
Dressed elegantly in a white floor-length gown at the OnePlus launch at Bengaluru Palace, she faced crude remarks and memes fixating on her appearance rather than her stature. Yet, in a powerful show of solidarity, fans and the sporting community hit back hard, redirecting the narrative to her monumental achievements, like surpassing 4,000 T20I runs, proving her legacy towers over fleeting negativity.
Mandhana’s fans flooded social media with fierce defences, drowning out the trolls. They emphasised that a female athlete’s body is forged in the fires of elite training, strength, and discipline, not airbrushed ideals. “Facing pace bowling takes strength, power, and courage. Women’s cricket is not delicate, and Smriti Mandhana proves that every time she steps onto the field,” one supporter posted, capturing the sentiment echoing across X (formerly Twitter).
The backlash highlighted glaring double standards. “Male cricketers attend events all the time, and no one comments on their bodies. Why should it be different for women?” another viral response questioned. Supporters also highlighted her stats, urging, “Judge her by runs, records, and match-winning knocks, not by viral pictures.” This fan army not only called out misogyny but also reignited vital conversations on how women in sports endure scrutiny on looks over performance.
On the field, Mandhana’s form silences critics. Just 18 runs shy of 4,000 T20I runs, making her the first Indian and only the second ever after New Zealand’s Suzie Bates – she smashed a stylish boundary off Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu’s bowling in the 5th over of India’s chase during the ongoing 5-match T20I series opener (21st-30th December 2025) at Visakhapatnam. Her 25 off 25 balls, laced with 4 boundaries, ended to Inoka Ranaweera in the 9th over, but India sealed a 1-0 lead with 8 wickets and 32 balls spare against Athapaththu’s side.
Remarkably, she’s 42 runs from 10,000 international runs across formats, joining England’s Charlotte Edwards, India’s Mithali Raj, and Bates as just the fourth woman globally. This breakthrough year saw her dominate ODIs with 1,362 runs in 23 innings at a strike rate of 109.92 and an average of 61.90, including 5 half-centuries and 5 centuries.
She topped India’s charts and was the tournament’s second-highest scorer in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 (30th September-2nd November), where Harmanpreet Kaur’s India clinched their maiden senior ICC title, thrashing South Africa by 52 runs in the Navi Mumbai final.
As India hosts Sri Lanka in this T20I series (Visakhapatnam and Thiruvananthapuram) ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England and Wales (12th June-5th July), Mandhana remains a pillar.
Mandhana hasn’t directly addressed the trolls, staying true to her off-field poise. Her fans’ unyielding support underscores a broader truth: in women’s cricket, true measure comes from willow-wielding prowess, not social media storms. This episode only amplifies her shine as India eyes more glory.
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