“I know he doesn’t use his phone a lot” - Smriti Mandhana reveals MS Dhoni’s message after 2025 World Cup win [Watch]

Team India captain Smriti Mandhana revealed that former men's team skipper MS Dhoni congratulated her and the side through a WhatsApp message after their historic 2025 Women's ODI World Cup triumph. Dhoni's habit of staying off his phone is well-documented. So when Smriti Mandhana received a WhatsApp message from him after India's World Cup triumph last November, it stood out.

The two shared a stage at Gulf Oil Lubricants' 125th-anniversary event in Mumbai this week, and the conversation moved to the night of November 2, 2025. Mandhana, now India's captain, described a message addressed to her and, through her, to the entire squad.

Here is a video of the same (via @mostlydhoni78 X handle):

Mandhana said:

"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."

Dhoni then detailed why he messaged Mandhana, saying:

"I didn't know anyone else's (number) from the team. I wanted the message to go through. 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:

"It (the World Cup triumph) is a big thing. It changes how Indian women's cricket moves forward. Not only the fact that you have brought a big trophy for the country. It's the fact that these girls paved the way for future ladies and how they would look at cricket and treat it as a profession."

Mandhana finished the tournament with 434 runs in nine matches at 54.25, with one century and two fifties. That surpassed Mithali Raj's 409 from the 2017 edition as the most runs by an Indian batter in a single Women's World Cup (ICC).

How the Indian women's team won the 2025 World Cup

India's run to the 2025 ODI World Cup title was no easy feat. Harmanpreet Kaur's side lost to Australia, England and South Africa in the group stage and only confirmed a semifinal place by beating New Zealand in their penultimate league game.

In the semifinal, Jemimah Rodrigues' unbeaten 127 off 134 balls and Harmanpreet's 89 off 88, shared in a 167-run stand, took India to 341 for 5 in pursuit of 339 against Australia. The five-wicket win, sealed with nine balls to spare, was the highest successful chase in women's ODI history and the first 300-plus chase in any ODI World Cup knockout, men's or women's.

South Africa waited in the final at the DY Patil Stadium. Mandhana and Shafali Verma added 104 for the first wicket, Mandhana making 45 off 58 balls with eight fours, before Shafali took over with 87 off 78. Deepti Sharma's 58 off 58 lifted India to 298 for 7, and she followed it with 5 for 39 as South Africa were bowled out for 246 in 45.3 overs, a 52-run defeat.

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