Smriti Mandhana, the vice captain of India, talked about how emotional it was for her and her family when she received her first Indian jersey. Being from Sangli, a small city in the Indian state of Maharashtra, she also talked about the difficulties she encountered early in her career.
Harmanpreet Kaur and company will start their pursuit of a first title against Sri Lanka on September 30 in Guwahati, as the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 gets underway in five days.
Team India players considered the pride of donning the blue shirt as the excitement grew. India captain Harmanpreet Kaur, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, and all-rounder Deepti Sharma discussed what it means to them to represent their country and how the jersey still inspires faith, resiliency, and patriotism. They talked about everything from early aspirations to life-changing events.
Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain of India, talked about her childhood aspiration and how difficult it was for her to be a woman and pursue a career in athletics.
“It was really difficult for me to think of playing for the country as a girl. “I didn’t realise you couldn’t play on a men’s team, but I always wanted to open with Virender Sehwag,” she told JioStar.
“I recall receiving the India jersey in my room when I was seventeen years old. I doubt I’ll be able to forget it. I wore it and emailed my brother and parents the pictures. They had a lot of feeling. You are a person who faces challenges. My biggest obstacle was that, at the time, hardly many girls played cricket in Sangli. I frequently had to spend four to five months away from home travelling from Sangli to Pune for camps. It was really difficult for a 14-year-old to do that and miss school.
“I believe I felt really delighted to be wearing this shirt during the Commonwealth semi-final match versus Australia. Our beliefs, in my opinion, have evolved significantly, and the only thing that can change them is the effort you put into them. There will always be a fight when the effort is there.
One significant change with this club is that everyone thinks they can win games,” Smriti Mandhana continued.
Given that Harmanpreet and company have made enormous progress in the international arena in recent years, the Indian vice-captain also underlined the team’s change in mindset.
“I was really affected by the most recent T20 World Cup. “I don’t want to feel like this as an athlete in my life,” I told myself. Many dietary and physical modifications have since been implemented. This World Cup has been anticipated by all of us.
Since I was a child in 2013, a lot has changed for women’s cricket in India. I can’t wait to see how the stadiums look and how they will respond. We are also impervious to the boisterous audience thanks to the Women’s Premier League (WPL). “There’s nothing better than seeing Indian supporters in stadiums,” she said.
Deepti Sharma, an all-rounder for India, also expressed how unique it is to don the blue jersey:
Every time I put on this blue jersey, I aim to make the most of every second. When we wait in queue for the national anthem, we get goose bumps. Regardless of the squad we are playing against or the format, we now have a slightly different mindset. We concentrate on what we can accomplish, talk positively all the time, and act accordingly on the ground.
During our practice sessions, we speak with Amol [Muzumdar] sir, and the most important thing is to attempt to get outside of our comfort zone in order to prepare for various scenarios. India’s highest score was 188, which I achieved against Ireland in South Africa. “I am really proud of that moment in an India jersey, and I scored those runs as an opener,” Deepti remarked.
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