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

MS Dhoni messaged Smriti Mandhana, asking her to convey his congratulations to India's 2025 World Cup-winning team. He said the triumph could reshape women's cricket and inspire girls to pursue the sport professionally.MS Dhoni and Smriti Mandhana at a promotional event (PTI Photo)New Delhi,Oct 29, 2026 17:54 ISTMS Dhoni is not exactly known for being glued to his phone. But after India's historic Women's World Cup triumph last year, the former India captain made an exception, sending Smriti Mandhana a WhatsApp message with a request: pass on his wishes to the entire team.Mandhana revealed the heartwarming exchange at a promotional event featuring Dhoni, where she admitted that she was delighted to hear from someone who, by her own account, does not use his phone much."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," Mandhana said.The revelation prompted a playful question from presenter Harsha Bhogle: "You saved the number?" "I did have his number," Mandhana replied.Dhoni then offered the explanation behind the message, revealing that Mandhana was the only player in the Indian women's team whose number he had. "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.MS Dhoni personally congratulated Smriti on WhatsApp after the World Cup win and asked her to extend his congratulations to the entire team https://t.co/biBYlwRb9G— (@mostlydhoni78) October 29, 2026India defeated South Africa by 52 runs in Navi Mumbai on November 2, 2025, to win their maiden Women's ODI World Cup title. Batting first, India posted 298 for seven, with Shafali Verma scoring 87 and Deepti Sharma making 58. Deepti then claimed five wickets as South Africa, despite Laura Wolvaardt's century, were bowled out for 246.The final came just days after India pulled off a remarkable chase against Australia in the semi-final. Chasing 339, India rode on Jemimah Rodrigues' unbeaten 127 and Harmanpreet Kaur's 89 to reach 341 for five, sealing a five-wicket victory with nine balls to spare. It was the highest successful run chase in Women's ODI history at the time.For Dhoni, however, the significance of the triumph extended well beyond the trophy."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, they paved the way for future ladies and how they would look at cricket and treat it as a profession," he said."I feel that was a big day for Indian cricket."A WhatsApp message may have been a small gesture from Dhoni, but the sentiment behind it captured the scale of India's achievement: a World Cup win that could inspire generations of girls to see cricket not merely as a passion, but as a profession.- Ends