India’s vice captain Smriti Mandhana returned to the public eye on Tuesday, her first appearance since confirming that her wedding to music composer Palash Muchhal had been called off.

Composed and clear in her messaging, Mandhana signalled a decisive shift towards reclaiming her routine, her confidence and her cricket.

Speaking at the Amazon Sambhav Summit, the 29 year old made it evident that the game remains her anchor in moments of turbulence. She said cricket has always offered her a way to steady herself when life becomes complicated.

Mandhana spoke at length about simplicity, preparation and the work unseen by audiences. She said she judges herself not by external verdicts but by the labour she puts in away from the spotlight. She added that consistent effort was her compass regardless of how she felt on a given day.

“I have always been a very simple person, not complicating my life by overthinking anything. If you put a lot of work in behind the scenes, you go out to bat feeling confident about what will happen,” she said.

The conversation soon drifted to happier memories. Mandhana revisited India’s historic ODI World Cup victory over South Africa on November 2 at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. It was a moment she described as the culmination of years of collective resolve.

“I do not think I love anything more than cricket. Wearing that Indian jersey motivates us. You set aside all your problems and focus on what matters. As a kid, the madness for batting was always there. No one understood it, but I always wanted to be called a world champion,” she said.

The title, she added, was the reward the team had long waited for. “Winning the World Cup was the reward for the battle we fought over the years. Many times things did not go our way. We visualised the final and seeing it play out gave us goosebumps. It was a special moment for all of us.”

Her comments came two days after she confirmed that her wedding was cancelled, drawing a line under weeks of speculation following the abrupt postponement of the ceremony. In a public statement, she requested privacy for both families and asked that the subject be allowed to rest.

“I am a very private person and I would like to keep it that way, but I need to clarify that the wedding is called off. I request you to please respect the privacy of both families and allow us space to process and move on at our own pace,” she wrote.

(With inputs from agencies)