India’s star opener Smriti Mandhana followed up her match-winning heroics in Adelaide with a cryptic Instagram post that quickly grabbed attention. A day after steering India to a T20I series win over Australia, she reminded everyone that “sport doesn’t care about your feelings.”
The India opener had just produced one of the defining knocks of the tour with an 82 off 55 balls in the third and final T20I at the Adelaide Oval. With the series on the line, Mandhana rose to the occasion, guiding India to 176 in the first innings and setting up a 17-run victory. It was against that backdrop that Mandhana shared her now-viral message via her Instagram story.
AUS W vs IND W, 3rd T20I: Highlights
“Sport doesn’t care about your feelings. It’s a harsh truth. But it doesn’t. It doesn’t care if you’re tired. If you’ve just won. If you’re the best player. If you’re the newest player. If you’re the most confident, most nervous, the hardest working. None of it,” the post read.
“It only cares about one thing. How you play the game. How you show up. The intentions you have to be the best you can be on that day. And if, and only if, you give it your all, you give it your full attention and respect, you might be able to come away with a chance of success. And then you get a chance to do it all again. Which I think that is one hell of a feeling,” it added.
The post struck a chord amongst fans, who have witnessed the last few months full of ups and downs for the India opener has had both on and off the field.
SMRITI TURNS SETBACKS INTO STRENGTH
It has not been a smooth off-field journey.
After playing a central role in India’s historic Women’s World Cup triumph in 2025, Mandhana went through a difficult personal phase when her wedding to musician-filmmaker Palash Muchhal, scheduled for November 23, 2025, was called off. While she kept her silence publicly, she responded in the only way she knows best, through performances.
Since then, there has been little dip in her standards. Instead, she has stacked up runs and records along with multiple silverware in her bag.
SMRITI MANDHANA IN THE FORM OF HER LIFE
On pure numbers, Mandhana is operating at a different level.
She ended the Australia T20I series as the highest run-getter with 129 runs at an average of 64.50. In the Women’s Premier League 2026, she finished as the leading scorer and captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their second title, earning Player of the Match in the final.
Her 2025 season was historic. Mandhana amassed 1,703 international runs in a single calendar year and crossed the 10,000-run mark in international cricket. She was also named the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year for her remarkable consistency.
India now prepare for the ODI series against Australia starting February 24. If Adelaide was any indication, Mandhana is not just in form, she is in command.
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