it has shared a quiet but meaningful moment from the night India finally won their maiden Women’s ODI World Cup. Speaking alongside at Gulf Oil Lubricants’ 125th-anniversary event in Mumbai this week, the India captain revealed that Dhoni sent her a WhatsApp message after the November 2, 2025, final and asked her to pass his wishes to the entire team.
Mandhana, who took over the captaincy from earlier this month, said the message stood out because Dhoni is known for keeping his phone use to a minimum.
“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,” said on stage.
The exchange came up during a conversation at the Mumbai event, where the two brand ambassadors shared the stage. Mandhana confirmed she already had Dhoni’s number saved, a detail that drew a light reaction from the presenter.
MS Dhoni explained that Smriti Mandhana was the only player from the women’s team whose number he had. The two had recently shot a commercial together, which is how the contact was available.
“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,” Dhoni said.
He made it clear the congratulations were meant for the whole squad, not just one player. By routing the message through Mandhana, he ensured it reached the group that had just ended India’s long wait for a senior women’s World Cup title.
also spoke about the wider impact of the win. India beat South Africa by 52 runs in the final at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, with ’s 87 and ’s all-round effort (58 and 5/39) leading the way. Smriti Mandhana herself finished the tournament as India’s leading run-scorer with 434 runs.
“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,” Dhoni added.
The conversation at the Gulf Oil event offered a small window into how the 2025 triumph continues to resonate more than a year later, both inside the dressing room and beyond it.
