Smriti Mandhana: The Routine Behind Her Winning Mindset

Core News and Key Facts

The most revealing part of Smriti Mandhana’s success story may not be something she did with a bat, but something she repeatedly wrote on paper. In a recent appearance on Raj Shamani’s Figuring Out podcast, the India opener spoke about the unusual manifestation routine introduced to her by her mentor during her teenage years.

Mandhana recalled writing statements such as “ICC number one batter” and “World Cup winner” and placing the paper under her pillow before going to sleep. She admitted that the exercise initially felt silly, but continued following the routine because of the influence of her mentor.

The conversation also touched on a personal goal that mattered beyond cricket. Mandhana said she once wrote her dream of buying a house for her parents on a blank cheque and kept it somewhere she could see regularly. Her family was living in a rented house at the time, and she eventually bought a home for her parents at the age of 18.

The podcast episode, released on September 12, also covered Mandhana’s preparation routines, handling pressure, failures, leadership and her approach to emotions.

Context and Official Statements

Mandhana’s mentor, identified in the podcast as Amrita ma’am, played a major role in shaping her habits from around the age of 13 or 14. According to Mandhana, the training went far beyond batting. She described early-morning fitness work, shadow batting, fielding practice and studying matches to understand tactical decisions.

That detail changes the way her manifestation story should be understood. The affirmations were not being used in isolation. They existed alongside years of structured training and cricket education.

Mandhana has since reached several of the milestones she once wrote down. India’s women’s team won the 2025 ODI World Cup, and she was also part of the side that won the 2026 Women’s Asia Cup in Dubai. In the Asia Cup final, Mandhana contributed to India’s strong opening partnership with Shafali Verma.

Krihaa Analysis

Mandhana’s story is interesting because it separates manifestation from the social-media version of “think it and it will happen.” Her own account suggests something more practical: the written goal became a repeated reminder of the standard she wanted to reach.

The strongest lesson is therefore not the paper under the pillow or the blank cheque itself. It is the combination of a clearly defined target and a routine that repeatedly brought that target back into focus.

For young athletes, students or professionals, that distinction matters. Visualization cannot substitute for skill development, practice or performance under pressure. But writing a specific objective can make an otherwise vague ambition measurable and easier to revisit.

Mandhana’s teenage routine also shows why mentorship can matter at an early stage. Her mentor did not simply tell her to dream bigger; she reportedly paired ambition with fitness, technical practice, match analysis and discipline.

That makes the story less about “manifestation creating success” and more about how a young athlete was taught to turn an abstract ambition into a daily behavioural routine. The paper may have carried the dream, but the training schedule was what gave it a chance to become real.