Indian vice captain Smriti Mandhana made her first public appearance for the first time after her wedding was called off. On Wednesday, December 10, she was spotted in New Delhi, where she greeted India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her manager Noopur Kashyap with a warm hug. The clip went viral on social media and fans have poured in plenty of love and positive comments.
Both Mandhana and Harmanpreet are currently in the capital to attend Amazon’s Smbhav Summit at the iconic Bharat Mandapam. Mandhana had announced on December 7 that she was stepping back from the relationship to focus fully on her cricketing career and winning trophies for India.
Mandhana issued her first public statement on social media after speculation around her personal life grew over the past month. She was scheduled to marry Muchhal on November 23, but the wedding was postponed after her father, Shriniwas, was hospitalised with a heart ailment. “I need to clarify that the wedding is called off. I would like to close this matter here and implore all of you to do the same,” Mandhana wrote. Over the past few weeks there has been plenty of speculation around my life and I feel it is important for me to speak out at this time,” she said in an Instagram post.
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Calling herself a “very private person”, Mandhana said she felt the need to clarify matters publicly. She added that her attention remained on cricket as India prepare for the upcoming international season. Just a day after issuing her statement about the cancelled wedding, Smriti Mandhana was back on the field. A photo shared by her brother, Shravan Mandhana, showed the star batter in full training mode — padded up, facing throwdowns, and wearing her training jersey at what appeared to be a private facility. Heart emojis accompanied the picture, which quickly went viral across social media.
Many fans praised Mandhana for her resilience and dedication, especially at a time when she is coping with a difficult personal phase. The left-hander is set to return to competitive cricket later this month during India’s five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka from December 21 to 30. On tuesday, December 9, the star opener was named in India’s 15-member squad for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka.
