Indian women’s captain Smriti Mandhana revealed that MS Dhoni sent her a congratulatory WhatsApp message after their historic ODI World Cup win. He had her number from a commercial shoot before the tournament.
Team India Women’s captain Smriti Mandhana revealed a rare text from the former men’s captain, MS Dhoni, following India’s historic Women’s ODI World Cup triumph. The Women in Blue, under Harmanpreet Kaur’s captaincy, clinched their maiden World Cup triumph by defeating South Africa in the final.
India became the fourth team after Australia, New Zealand, and England to win the prestigious Women’s ODI World Cup and the third team after Australia and England to clinch both men’s and women’s 50-over World Cups, joining the elusive list of nations to achieve global supremacy across both men’s and women’s cricket.
India Women had to wait 47 years since their first participation in the ODI World Cup in 1978 to lift the coveted trophy on home soil. Harmanpreet Kaur-led side defeated South Africa in the final at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai in November 2025.
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Mandhana Received a Rare Text from Dhoni
Almost a year after India Women’s team clinched the ODI World Cup triumph, Smriti Mandhana, who was vice-captain at the time of the tournament, shared how Dhoni reached out.
Speaking at Gulf Oil Lubricants’ 125th anniversary event in Mumbai, Mandhana revealed that the former India captain reached out to congratulate the entire squad via WhatsApp, adding that she had already had Dhoni’s number on her phone before receiving a rare text from the legendary wicketkeeper-batter.
“He actually did send me a message after the World Cup win. I know he doesn’t use his phone a lot. I was very happy that he used WhatsApp to congratulate all of us,” Mandhana said.
“I did have his number,” the India women’s captain replied when asked by Harsha Bhogle.
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MS Dhoni, under whose captaincy India won major ICC titles, is often known for his elusive nature and staying detached from his phone, making any direct digital communication from him a rare occurrence.
It was rumoured that Dhoni rarely carries a phone with me unless it is for essential work, a reputation the former India captain himself confirmed while addressing the gathering in Mumbai.
Why Did MS Dhoni Reach Out Only to Smriti Mandhana?
Since Dhoni didn’t have the contact numbers of any other members of the squad, Mandhana was his sole point of contact. The two-time World Cup-winning captain revealed that he had worked with Smriti on a commercial shoot before the tournament, which is how he happened to have her number stored.
“I didn’t know anyone else’s number from the team. I wanted the message to go through,” Dhoni said.
“We had just shot (a commercial) before that. I thought, ‘Let me send a message to Smriti’, and I mentioned, ‘Please wish everyone who is part of the team, ‘ he added.
Meanwhile, Smriti Mandhana began her captaincy tenure after taking over the mantle from Harmanpreet Kaur during the home white-ball series against Zimbabwe, which saw the Women in Blue secure three-match series sweeps in T20Is and ODIs, solidifying her position as a core leader in the team’s ongoing era of dominance.
Smriti will next lead India on the tour of South Africa, where they will play a one-off Test, followed by a three-match ODI series and as many T20I series.
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