Smriti Mandhana’s Special Birthday Wish for Jemimah Rodrigues Delights Fans

Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues share a friendship that has remained strong through some of Indian cricket’s biggest moments.

On Jemimah’s 26th birthday, Mandhana celebrated that bond by sharing a special fan-made video featuring some of their most memorable moments together.

The video included an emotional scene from the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup, when Mandhana ran to embrace Jemimah after her match-winning century against Australia. It also featured footage from the WPL 2026 final, where the two hugged after the match despite having captained rival teams.

Mandhana accompanied the edit with a playful birthday message, admitting that she was not particularly good at making such videos.

“Posting a fan edit on your birthday because you know I am not great at editing. Happy Birthday Jemuu, Wish you the best. Love you,” she wrote.

Jemimah responded warmly to her friend, saying: “Thank you Smrituuuuu! Love you loadssss and miss you too.”

A BOND BEYOND THE CRICKET FIELD

The friendship between Mandhana and Jemimah has become one of the more endearing bonds in Indian women’s cricket. Despite representing different teams in domestic competitions, the two have consistently backed and celebrated each other.

Their relationship was once again visible during the WPL 2026 final. Mandhana captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru, while Jemimah was at the helm of Delhi Capitals. RCB eventually won the contest by six wickets, with Mandhana producing a match-winning performance to claim the Player of the Match award.

The rivalry, however, did little to affect their friendship, with the two sharing an affectionate moment after the game.

Jemimah is currently recovering from an injury suffered while playing for Southern Brave in The Hundred. As a result, she has been ruled out of the Women’s Asia Cup, with Pratika Rawal taking over the No. 3 batting position after making her debut against Thailand.

Mandhana, meanwhile, has continued her impressive run. She recently scored her second T20I century against Hong Kong and went past Mithali Raj’s 10,868 international runs, further strengthening her position among India’s leading run-scorers.

Jemimah was quick to celebrate the achievement, referring to Mandhana as her “sister” and a “legend”.

Mandhana has also played a key role in India’s Asia Cup campaign, helping the team reach the semi-finals. Earlier in the year, she guided RCB to their second WPL title, although India’s T20 World Cup campaign ended in disappointment after the team failed to qualify for the semi-finals.

For Jemimah, the immediate goal is to regain full fitness and return to the Indian side. With the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy scheduled for next year, her recovery will be closely watched as she looks to make a strong comeback.