In a candid chat with Star Sports broadcasters before India’s dominant 3-0 push in the five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka at Thiruvananthapuram, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana reflected on her milestone 4,000 T20I runs, the thrill of India’s maiden senior ICC title, and the road to the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup.
With India, led by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, already up 2-0 after crushing victories by 8 wickets in the opener and 7 wickets in the second on December 23, 2025, against Chamari Athapaththu’s Sri Lanka, Mandhana’s poised 25 off 25 balls in the first game marked her as the first Indian, and only the second player after Suzie Bates, to cross 4,000 T20I runs.
Mandhana, the 29-year-old left-handed opener, opened up about the surreal joy of World Cup glory. “It feels amazing, to be honest (being World Champions). I still remember that moment at the World Cup when our team walked out, and they announced us as champions. It was surreal,” she shared.
India, under Harmanpreet Kaur and head coach Amol Muzumdar, clinched their first senior ICC trophy by defeating South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt-led side by 52 runs in the final of the 13th ICC Women’s ODI World Cup at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, on November 2, 2025. Kaur became the first Indian captain to lift an ICC title at home, with legends like Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, and Anjum Chopra joining in a tearful trophy lift, a poignant tribute to the pioneers.
Her breakthrough year 2025 in ODIs underscores her form: Mandhana became the first woman to amass 1,362 runs at a strike rate of 109.92 and an average of 61.90 across 23 innings, featuring five half-centuries and five centuries. She topped India’s charts and ranked second overall in the ODI World Cup hosted across India and Sri Lanka from September 30 to November 2.
In T20Is, since her debut on April 5, 2013, against Bangladesh in Vadodara, she boasts 4,021 runs in 155 matches (149 innings) at 123.79 strike rate and 29.78 average, including 31 fifties and a century. Her pinnacle arrived on June 28, 2025, smashing 112 off 62 balls (15 fours, 3 sixes) alongside Shafali Verma at Trent Bridge, powering India to 210/5 and a 97-run win over England, earning Player of the Match.
Mandhana downplayed personal feats while eyeing the T20-heavy horizon. “I don’t like talking too much about myself, but I’m happy with how things have gone. This format is something I keep working hard on every single day, and it’s nice when the effort translates into performances,” she noted.
With the 10th ICC Women’s T20 World Cup set for England and Wales from June 12 to July 5, 2026, plus the fourth Women’s Premier League from January 9 to February 5, 2026 (first phase at DY Patil, Navi Mumbai; second at Kotambi, Vadodara), she emphasised simplicity.
“Yeah, we played a lot of ODI cricket leading up to the World Cup – almost a year of preparation. But we always knew the next phase would be heavy on T20 cricket. For me as a batter, it’s about keeping things simple: reacting to the ball, backing my strengths, and not overthinking.”
The pride lingers, but so does the pressure. “It’s been about a month now, and as a team we’ve embraced that feeling really well. But along with the pride, it also brings responsibility. It reminds us to prepare even better and to keep that success going because we’ll be known as world champions for the next few years. Hopefully, the marketing team doesn’t let us forget it either! (laughs).”
As India chases a series sweep, Mandhana’s words signal a team primed to dominate the T20I format and eyeing World Cup glory.
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