3rd T20I: Have embraced that World Champions feeling very well as a team, says Mandhana

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 26 (IANS) India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana said the team had embraced the feeling of being crowned world champions, but also pointed out that the tag also brought added responsibility.

Last month, India won the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup in Navi Mumbai and got their first-ever ICC trophy in senior women’s cricket. “It feels amazing, to be honest (on being called 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.

“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!” said Smriti in a chat with broadcasters ahead of the third T20I against Sri Lanka in Thiruvananthapuram.

During the ongoing series, Smriti became the first Indian women’s cricketer to score more than 4,000 runs in T20Is. Though she is yet to get a fifty in the series, Smriti expressed happiness with how her form has been in 2025. “For me as a batter, it’s about keeping things simple: reacting to the ball, backing my strengths, and not overthinking. If I do that well, I know I can contribute to the team.

“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 added.

India will chase another silverware when the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup takes place in England in June-July, and Smriti said their focus will be on playing a lot more T20Is in the run-up to the mega event.

“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, with the T20 World Cup, this series, and the WPL coming up.”

–IANS

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