‘I was very happy’: Smriti Mandhana reveals MS Dhoni’s special WhatsApp message after World Cup win

Former cricketer MS Dhoni along with women’s cricket team captain Smriti Mandhana (PTI) Smriti Mandhana revealed that former India captain MS Dhoni personally congratulated her after the Indian women’s team lifted their maiden ODI World Cup title in November 2025.Speaking at an event with Dhoni, Mandhana recalled receiving a WhatsApp message from the legendary cricketer after India’s historic triumph. She admitted that she was particularly pleased with the gesture as she knew Dhoni was not someone who used his phone often.“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.Host Harsha Bhogle then asked Mandhana if she had saved Dhoni’s number.“I had his number,” she replied.Meanwhile, Dhoni offered an interesting explanation as to why he chose Mandhana as the recipient of his message. He revealed that she was the only member of the Indian women’s team whose contact number he saved.“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 thought, ‘Let me send a message to Smriti’ and I mentioned, ‘Please wish everyone who is part of the team,'” Dhoni said.India made history on 2 November 2025 when they beat South Africa by 52 runs in Navi Mumbai to win their first ever Women’s ODI World Cup. With the triumph, the team ended their long wait for the ICC title.Batting first in the final over, India made 298/7 with Shafali Verma leading the charge with 87 runs and Deepti Sharma contributing 58. Deepti then finished with the ball and claimed five wickets as South Africa were dismissed for 246 despite a century from Laura Wolvaardt.