Team India star Smriti Mandhana recalled a stressful phase during the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup. The Women in Blue won their first-ever ICC trophy by winning the tournament.

Smriti entered the World Cup in solid form. However, she did not start well. She revealed having a conversation with herself before the fourth match against Australia. The star batter found her rhythm back, scoring 80 runs, although India lost the game. She followed it up with an 88 in the next game against England. Unfortunately, India lost to England as well.

Smriti got out at a crucial time as they suffered a narrow four-run defeat. She recalled being disappointed with herself after the loss.

“I came into the World Cup with amazing form. The first three matches did not go as planned, in one-day cricket, I pride myself not to get out in those first ten overs. I remember we lost to South Africa and I had that conversation with myself that what did I do wrong. I was batting well in the nets. I don’t know if it was pressure or I was not making the right choices on that particular day. I did not find myself feeling good in those first three matches. The next match, we lost but I got an 80, and I was getting the rhythm. The England game, I was the most disappointed with myself,” she said on the RCB Podcast.

After the England game, Smriti expressed being stressed, under pressure, and not being able to talk to anyone for a while. She added that she was stressed the whole night before India’s next clash against New Zealand.

“I thought why did I play that shot (Eng game). The next day we had a flight and in the whole flight I was just disappointed. That was the only time I could not speak to anyone. I was stressing a lot. It was the most pressure I had felt. I told myself not qualifying in a home World Cup will do really bad to women’s cricket in India and will take us 20 years back. I was stressing the whole night before the New Zealand game.”

The New Zealand game was a must-win affair for India to keep their hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals alive.

Smriti Mandhana on her hundred and India’s victory in the semi-final

Against New Zealand, Smriti Mandhana stepped up and delivered. She scored a brilliant hundred, making 109 runs off 95 balls. India won by 53 runs (DLS) and eventually qualified for the semi-finals as well.

She reckoned that it was a special knock considering the importance of the game.

“Considering the importance of the match and all the noise, it was special. There are some reserved trolls for women which keep coming back. But for us as a team, we prepped so well. What people talk changes overnight. As a team, we were just helping each other. It was eating me up that we cannot not qualify for the semi-finals of a home World Cup,” she expressed.

The semi-final clash was not an easy one as they were up against Australia. Australia set them a daunting target of 339. However, India did the unthinkable, as they pulled off a record chase. They got over the line in just 48.3 overs with five wickets to spare and knocked Australia out.

Smriti believed that the semi-final changed the entire complexion of the World Cup.

“We got hit for 300 in that semi-final. But there was a lot of calmness. An earlier team would have been like okay we are done. But there was a lot of positiveness that we are going to chase it. Everyone also batted in that fashion. I did not see the match live, I was inside watching on TV. That semifinal took the World Cup to a different level.”

The star India batter had a stellar campaign. She ended up with 434 runs from nine games at an average of 54.25 with a hundred and two half-centuries.