Now Reading: MS Dhoni messaged Smriti Mandhana after Women’s World Cup win
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MS Dhoni messaged Smriti Mandhana after Women’s World Cup win
The Story in Brief
Smriti Mandhana has revealed that MS Dhoni sent her a WhatsApp message after India's women's team won the ODI World Cup on 2 November 2025. Mandhana spoke about the exchange at a promotional event hosted by Harsha Bhogle on Thursday, 29 October 2026. Dhoni said he only had Mandhana's number from the team, having shot a commercial with her, and asked her to pass on his congratulations to all the players.
Mandhana said she was happy Dhoni used WhatsApp to congratulate the team, knowing he does not use his phone much. Dhoni called the World Cup triumph a big thing that changes how Indian women's cricket moves forward and paves the way for younger women to see cricket as a profession. India defeated South Africa by 52 runs in the final at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai to win their first senior ICC women's title.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Both News9live and Times Now reported the same story in near-identical fashion, each attributing the quotes to Mandhana and Dhoni from the same event. Neither outlet led with any angle beyond the exchange itself: no political or ideological framing is visible, and neither source introduced scepticism or praise beyond the reported facts. The coverage is uniform straight reporting of a feel-good sports anecdote, with both outlets treating Dhoni's words on women's cricket's future as a natural closing remark. The story stands on the quotes alone, with no disputed facts or competing narratives to reconcile.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): news9live.com (neutral report), timesnownews.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
