‘Household names’: Smriti Mandhana on impact of India’s Women’s World Cup win

India captain Smriti Mandhana says the 2025 Women’s World Cup triumph brought greater respect and visibility to women’s cricket, with players becoming household names. She recalled fans’ rain-soaked send-off, while Shafali Verma spoke about their strong opening partnership

New Delhi: India captain Smriti Mandhana said the biggest change since the team’s triumph in the 2025 Women’s World Cup on home soil has been the growing respect for women’s cricket and the way its players have become household names across the country.

“Not a lot of things have changed in a way, but the respect women’s cricket has got in the last one year after the World Cup, and to see people really being involved a lot more, I think that’s something which has been a really pleasing change for me. To just see everyone kind of becoming a household name is a very pleasing sight,” Smriti told JioStar.

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Recalling the day of the final against South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, Smriti remembered the send-off the team received from fans outside their hotel, even as heavy rain poured down.

“A very good sight was that, even though it was raining, there were around 1,000 people outside our bus, outside the hotel, actually seeing us off. It was a very good sight for us, and it gave us a lot of positivity. Even in the rain, people were standing there, getting wet, but trying to give us all their best wishes.”

Opener Shafali Verma, who was named Player of the Match in the World Cup final after scoring 87 runs and taking two wickets, spoke about her partnership with Smriti at the top of the order. She said the duo now understand each other so well that they barely need words to communicate.

“I think in our partnership, it’s just that we know each other very well, and we have been playing together since 2019. Nowadays, we even communicate through eye contact. So, we know how much to talk to each other in the middle, and we know what the team needs. We keep telling each other that as well. I think that reflects in our partnership and is good for the team.”