Indian cricket star Smriti Mandhana, with over 9,000 international runs and 1,000-plus boundaries to her name, discussed her preparation for the upcoming 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in a recent conversation on the Cricket Predicta Show. The tournament opener will see hosts India face Sri Lanka on September 30 in Bengaluru, as Mandhana also announced the launch of her new cricket academy in Dubai.Mandhana shared her measured approach to the World Cup preparations with cricket scholar Sunil Yash Kalra.“I have always been a big believer in not thinking too far ahead. We have to focus on the process, do every day right–and that is the aim,” Mandhana said.She further emphasized the team’s composed mindset heading into the tournament.“Even as a team, everyone’s calm. We have got a long road ahead over the next five to six months. I would not like to speak a lot about it. Cricket is such a game–you do your things right, things fall in place. Let us just try and do that well,” she stated.Mandhana has expanded her cricket involvement by launching the City Cricket Academy by Smriti Mandhana in Dubai, partnering with UK-based coach Don Bhagawati.Speaking about her partnership with Bhagawati, Mandhana shared her journey from initial apprehension to a close relationship.“This is a great partnership for me,” Mandhana said. “Right now, I am focusing more on my cricket, and Don will handle the coaching. I’ve known Don for many years, and when I first heard his name, I was scared. I wondered, who is this ‘Don’? But over time, Don and his family have become like family to me in England.”
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The academy aims to develop young cricketers’ skills while emphasizing joy, purpose, and proper values under Bhagawati’s guidance.Mandhana’s cricket statistics demonstrate her consistent performance across formats. In Test cricket, she has accumulated 629 runs in 7 matches at an average of 57.18, including 2 centuries and 3 fifties.Her ODI record shows 4,501 runs in 103 matches, averaging 46.4 with a strike rate of 87.93, featuring 11 hundreds and 31 fifties.In T20 internationals, she has scored 3,982 runs in 153 matches at an average of 29.94 and a strike rate of 123.98, with 1 century and 31 fifties.Her World Cup performance includes 559 runs in 16 matches at an average of 37.26, with two centuries and three fifties. Her highest score in the tournament is 123.India’s previous best performances in the Women’s Cricket World Cup were runner-up finishes in 2005 and 2017.
