Smriti Mandhana sends special message to a young Kashmiri fan

A little girl in Aru Valley told filmmaker Khan that Mandhana was her favourite cricketer

Last updated: December 22, 2025 | 14:12

Jai Rai, Assistant Editor

2 MIN READ

Smriti Mandhana sends special message to a young Kashmiri fan

Dubai: Indian cricketer Smriti Mandhana has won hearts on social media after responding to a touching message from a young fan in Kashmir.

Filmmaker Kabir Khan recently shared photos from his visit to the region, where he met a little girl in Aru Valley who told him that Mandhana was her favourite cricketer. Khan posted about the moment on social media, hoping the Indian star would see it.

At the time, Mandhana was busy playing in India’s five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, but she still noticed the post and replied with a warm message that quickly went viral.

Sharing his experience, Kabir Khan wrote, “Walking with my camera in Kashmir always rewards me with magical moments. Like this little girl in Aru who wanted me to tell Smriti Mandhana that she is her favourite player. I hope Smriti gets to see this post. Or the boys whose playground has a mountain stream as the boundary. If you hit a six, the ball will flow all the way down the valley into the Jhelum river.”

Mandhana responded with a heartfelt note, saying, “Please give the little champ in Aru a big hug from me and tell her I’m cheering for her too!”

Earlier on Sunday, Mandhana also created history during the first Women’s T20 International against Sri Lanka in Visakhapatnam. She became the first Indian woman cricketer to score over 4,000 runs in T20 internationals. Overall, she is only the second woman in the world to achieve the feat, after New Zealand’s Suzie Bates, who currently has 4,716 runs.

Mandhana reached the 4,000-run milestone in just 3,227 balls, faster than Bates, who took 3,675 balls. In the match, Mandhana scored 25 off 25 balls while chasing a target of 122. Although her innings was brief, it was enough to etch her name into the record books. The match also marked her return to international cricket following India’s ODI World Cup triumph last month.

Earlier, India’s bowlers delivered a strong performance to restrict Sri Lanka to 121 for six, with Vishmi Gunaratne top-scoring with 39 runs.

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Jai RaiAssistant Editor

Jai is a seasoned journalist with more than two decades of experience across India and the UAE, specialising in sports reporting. Throughout his distinguished career, he has had the privilege of covering some of the biggest names and events in sports, including cricket, tennis, Formula 1 and golf. A former first-division cricket league captain himself, he brings not only a deep understanding of the game but also a cricketer's discipline to his work. His unique blend of athletic insight and journalistic expertise gives him a wide-ranging perspective that enriches his storytelling, making his coverage both detailed and engaging. Driven by an unrelenting passion for sports, he continues to craft compelling narratives that resonate with readers. As the day winds down for most, he begins his work, ensuring that the most captivating stories make it to the print edition in time for readers to receive them bright and early the next morning.