MS Dhoni WhatsApp message: How Smriti shared his wishes with the World Cup team

MS Dhoni isn’t exactly known for being glued to his phone. But after India’s historic triumph in the Women’s World Cup last year, the former India captain made an exception and sent Smriti Mandhana a WhatsApp message with a request: convey his wishes to the entire team.

Mandhana revealed a warm exchange at a promotional event with Dhoni, where she admitted she was pleased to hear from someone who, by her own account, doesn’t use his phone much.

“He actually messaged me after winning the World Cup. I know he doesn’t use his phone much. I was very happy that he congratulated us all on WhatsApp,” Mandhana said.

The revelation prompted a playful question from host Harsha Bhogle: “Did you save the number?”

“I had his number,” Mandhana replied.

Dhoni then offered an explanation behind the news, revealing that Mandhana was the only player in the Indian women’s team whose number he had.

“I didn’t know (the number) of anyone else in the team. I wanted the message to go through. We were just shooting (the commercial) before that. I was like, ‘Let me send a message to Smriti’, and I mentioned, ‘Please wish everyone who is part of the team’,” Dhoni said.

MS Dhoni personally congratulated Smriti on WhatsApp after the World Cup win and asked her to congratulate the entire team (@mostlydhoni78) October 29, 2026

India beat South Africa by 52 runs at Navi Mumbai on November 2, 2025, to win her first Women’s ODI World Cup title. India batted first at 298 for seven, with Shafali Verma scoring 87 and Deepti Sharma 58. Deepti then took five wickets as South Africa, despite Laura Wolvaardt’s century, were bowled out for 246.

The final came just days after India staged a remarkable chase against Australia in the semi-finals. Pursuit 339, India went on an unbeaten 127 by Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur’s 89 to reach 341 for five, sealing a five-wicket victory with nine balls to spare. It was the highest run chase in women’s ODI history at the time.

For Dhoni, however, the significance of the triumph went far beyond the trophy.

“It (the World Cup triumph) is a big thing. It changes how Indian women’s cricket moves forward. It’s not just the fact that you brought a big trophy to the country. It’s the fact that these girls have paved the way for future ladies and how they would look at cricket and treat it as a profession,” he said.

“I feel it was a big day for Indian cricket.

The WhatsApp message may have been a small gesture from Dhoni, but the sentiment behind it captured the scale of India’s success: a World Cup victory that could inspire generations of girls to see cricket not just as a passion but as a profession.

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