India Women’s vice-captain Smriti Mandhana finally found her mojo with the bat in the ongoing T20I series against Sri Lanka Women. She had been off-color in the first three T20Is, scoring 25, 14, and 1.

However, in the fourth T20I in Thiruvananthapuram on December 28, 2025, India was asked to bat first by Sri Lanka women’s captain Chamari Athapaththu, who had won the toss.

This led to Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma hammering the Sri Lanka bowlers. They added 162 runs in 15.2 overs for the opening wicket. Shafali made 79 in 46 balls with 12 fours and one six, while Mandhana made 80 in 48 balls with 11 fours and 3 sixes. Richa Ghosh hammered 40* in just 16 balls with 4 fours and 3 sixes as India posted their best T20I score of 221/2 in 20 overs.

Sri Lanka gave a good try to chase, as Athapaththu made 52 and Hasini Perera made 33, and there were contributions from Imesha Dulani (29) and Nilakshika Silva (23). But Sri Lanka could only muster 191/6 in 20 overs. Arundhati Reddy and Vaishanavi Sharma took two wickets each as India won by 30 runs.

Focus was on Mandhana, who began carefully, assessing the conditions and the bowling before altering gears once established. Mandhana's timing and placement were particularly impressive, as she effortlessly located the gaps, hitting 11 fours and three sixes.

"Yeah, it felt really good. We’ve played a lot of one-day cricket over the last six months, so the first three matches were a bit tricky in terms of getting back into T20 mode. Mentally, it’s a different space after so much ODI cricket," Mandhana said in the post-match presentation.

Mandhana focused on her lean patch and the changes she made, emphasizing that the struggle was more human than tactical and was based on execution rather than planning.

"Not really, I think it was more about me than them (if Sri Lanka did anything differently today). I had plans against their bowling; I knew what to expect, but in the first few games, I probably gave my wicket away trying to execute shots I’d been practicing. I came here early and worked on a few things, but no matter how much you train, doing it out in the middle is always different," she added after being named Player of the Match.

Mandhana praised Shafali's impact at the top, noting how their contrasting styles and growing understanding enabled them to settle early and form a powerful opening duo.

"Batting with Shafali is always a treat for the eyes. The way she started, she made my job a lot easier. I could take my time, rotate strike, and get into rhythm while she did most of the heavy hitting early on. We complement each other really well—we understand whose day it is and play accordingly. And I’m really happy with how much she’s matured with her batting," she said.

Mandhana also spoke about how the Indian team’s culture has shifted in the last year. She stated that there was emphasis on unity and shared joy, as she recalled the special moment of a debutante’s first big contribution in national colors.

"In the last year, there's been a different team building that has happened; everyone celebrates each other’s success. It’s a conscious effort to be there for one another, whether things are going great or not so great. When she (Kamalini) took that catch, we were all thrilled because it was her first time out there in an India jersey," she concluded.

(ANI inputs)