Smriti Mandhana, the vice captain of the India Women’s team, attributed the squad’s recent success to their excellent off-field preparation. With 747 runs in 2024 and 628 in 2025, Mandhana has had an incredible run since last year and is now the top run scorer in ODIs this year.
India will play Sri Lanka in the opening match of the 2025 Women’s World Cup on September 30. After falling short in the previous edition in 2022, the Indian contingent will be aiming for a more robust effort this time. This time, the co-hosts will undoubtedly want to finish first because the home conditions are advantageous.
“We are now seeing results from the amount of training we are doing and the work we are putting into our training camps, and hopefully this World Cup will be extremely special for us. I simply felt a lot of things over my last 1.5 months in the UK. Smriti Mandhana was reported by ESPNcricinfo as saying, “Even off the pitch, it was very right about the team, in terms of how everyone came together and we, as a team, are really big on it in terms [of how] we are working hard here every day, day in, day out.”
“For all of the children to enter… … it was truly incredible to watch Kranti [Goud] take six wickets [in the third ODI]. Thus, occasionally, the surroundings truly benefit everyone,” Smriti Mandhana continued.
The Mumbai native said that her work ethic has changed recently, which has made her cricket more composed. Smriti Mandhana said that she and the team now know exactly where to concentrate their efforts, which has resulted in a great deal of improvement and poise.
“Over the past two or three years, work ethics have evolved significantly, more so than my perspective. And as a result, I feel really at ease with how I want to approach my cricket. Thus, that is one thing that has drastically changed.
According to Smriti Mandhana, events in the field are a relatively secondary matter.
“Doing the work is our main responsibility. And not just for me; I believe the entire team is moving in that direction, [where] we are aware of where we need to put in the most effort. As a result, we are all rather clear about those kinds of things. And that brings about a great deal of peace. I would say that there has been a significant shift in the team as well as for me personally over the past year and a half,” she continued.
With no club assured of a finals position, the competition has grown more equal, according to the stunning left-handed opening batsman. In contrast to previous dominant times, she believed that success now relied on performing well and putting it one’s all on the day, thus this unpredictability is a good thing.
“Every team has significantly improved since then. Which squad will finish in the top four is a mystery to you. Therefore, I believe that is something that is excellent because it was earlier. They dominated the situation. There was always one squad that was certain of making it to the finals. However, it’s always available right now, so all you have to do is play well and give it your all on that certain day, Smriti Mandhanastated.
At the event where the trophy trip was introduced, Smriti was joined by captain Harmanpreet Kaur and other important ICC dignitaries.
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