Smriti Mandhana Named UNICEF India Advocate for Girl Child
Smriti Mandhana has a new duty to fulfill outside the cricket field. UNICEF India shared that the left-handed batter joined them as a UNICEF India Celebrity Advocate on Sunday, 11 October, to mark the International Day of the Girl Child. This update came just a few days ago after Smriti became the captain of the national team, taking over from Harmanpreet Kaur, who stepped down. It is a very busy time for Smriti, who has already won a World Cup and stands as a top ODI batter, holding the prestigious Arjuna Award.
In this new role, Mandhana will support UNICEF India as they work to improve young girls’ health, happiness, and future. She will also stand up for equal chances for girls to play sports and grow. The organization stated that its main motive is to make sure that every girl can learn, play, lead, and reach her full potential. Mandhana is no stranger to the organisation. She has previously backed UNICEF-ICC campaigns on gender equality and life skills, as well as the Promise to Children campaign. Speaking about the appointment, she said, “Playing cricket as a child taught me that every dream begins with an opportunity.”
UNICEF India Representative Cynthia McCaffrey said Mandhana’s rise from a young hopeful to a global cricket star shows girls what can happen when talent finds opportunity. Sachin Tendulkar, UNICEF’s Ambassador for South Asia, welcomed the new India women’s cricket captain to the UNICEF India family on X. The timing carries weight. India has 253 million adolescents, about one-fifth of its population and 21 per cent of the world’s adolescents, so the stakes are high for getting girls into classrooms, playgrounds, and leadership roles.
She was born in Mumbai in 1996, inspired to pick up the bat by watching her brother play junior state tournaments, and made her Indian debut in April 2013. Mandhana is now the top overall run-scorer in international women’s cricket and was also named BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year for 2025 after India’s World Cup Triumph. When an active national leader takes up child-rights advocacy, it delivers a clear signal about what sport can do off the field. This earlier campaign work means one thing: she starts with experience, not from the start. She will now be judged not only on her runs but on how far she can enhancegirl’s empowerment, from playground to classroom. Having spent her career building innings now has a bigger one to play, and we, SheInspire Magazine, wish her every success.
