Photograph: Kind courtesy Smriti Mandhana/Instagram

Key Points

• Smriti Mandhana, India's vice-captain and top-ranked batter, sometimes cries privately when overwhelmed but strongly dislikes sympathy.
• She prefers to go quiet and internalise her feelings rather than have others perceive her as sad or 'bechari'.
• Smriti avoids discussing personal issues in interviews.

Cricket superstar Smriti Mandhana has opened up about how she deals with her emotions, revealing that she sometimes goes to the bathroom and cries when she feels overwhelmed, but also that she hates 'sympathy' and people looking at her with pity.

One of the world's premier batters and Harmanpreet Kaur's deputy across formats, Mandhana played a pivotal role in India's 2025 World Cup win.

The 30-year-old left-hander is the top-ranked batter in the world.

Speaking to Podcaster Raj Shamani, Smriti revealed how she deals with sadness. 'I just go quiet for a very long time,' she said.

'I could be quiet and just within myself. Rona dhona nahi hai mere ko (I don't like crying). And you know what I don't like -- the biggest thing is that other person understanding that I'm sad is one big thing (but) I hate sympathy, any sort of sympathy.

'"Oh you're sad, oh, what happened?" Like people will come and be like 'Oh, you got out?' If you are sad about it, people will feel like you are sad about it and something big has happened, and then they will come and give sympathy.'

'So, my life rule is that I don't want to be that person so that I don't get sympathy, because I hate it. Don't look at me like I am a bechari. I am fine. I am strong, and it's not just for the world.'

Privacy Over Pity

Smriti doesn't like to talk about personal issues.

'That's why I never -- like, that's why I never speak in interviews about family issues. I mean, I'm not that. I'm just like, look at me like a happy soul. Look at me like that -- like get inspired by the game, not by the story.'