I don't think I love anything more than cricket: Smriti Mandhana

Team India opening batter Smriti Mandhana, who has been named in India’s squad for the forthcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka, has stated that her only priority is cricket and revealed that she always wanted to give herself the best chance to propel India to win major trophies. 

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Mandhana, who attended the Amazon Smbhav Summit at Bharat Mandapam alongside captain Harmanpreet Kaur, strolled down memory lane on her journey from her international debut in 2013 to emerging as one of the important players in India’s World Cup triumph in 2025.

"I don't think I love anything more than cricket. Wearing that Indian jersey is the motivation that drives us. You keep all your problems aside, and that thought alone helps you focus on life," Smriti Mandhana said.

"As a kid, the madness for batting was always there. No one understood it, but in my mind, I always wanted to be called a world champion,” she added.

Interestingly, this was the third time India made it to the World Cup final after finishing as the runners-up on the other two occasions earlier. This time around, they defeated South Africa in the grand finale to lift the silverware.

"This World Cup was the reward for the battle we fought over the years. We were waiting for it so badly. I have been playing for more than 12 years and many times things did not go our way. We visualised it before the final and when we finally saw it on the screen, it gave us goosebumps. It was an incredible, special moment," she stated.

"We really wanted to do it for them (Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami), badly. Seeing tears in their eyes made it feel like women's cricket itself was winning. It was a battle won for all of them. You always start an innings at zero, no matter if you scored a hundred before. And do not play for yourself, that is what we kept reminding each other," she concluded.

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The five-match T20I series between India Women and Sri Lankan Women will commence on Sunday, December 21, in Visakhapatnam.

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