Smriti Mandhana very close to father; he developed uneasiness amid wedding celebrations in Sangli—here’s what happened

Indian women’s cricket star Smriti Mandhana has postponed her wedding after her father, Shrinivas Mandhana, suffered a sudden health emergency on Sunday, prompting doctors to keep him under observation.

What the family doctor said about her father

Mandhana’s family doctor, Dr Naman Shah, said a medical team is closely tracking her father’s condition.

"At around 1.30 pm, Mr Srinivas Mandhana got left-sided chest pain, we call it 'angina' in medical term. As the symptoms surfaced, his son called me, we sent ambulance, he was shifted to hospital. We found out in ECG, other reports, that cardiac enzymes are elevated, hence we need to keep him in observation,” he told PTI.

He added that his blood pressure was high and being controlled.

"Blood Pressure is also elevated, efforts are on to lower it. The whole team is monitoring. If situation exacerbates, we will have to do angiography. Smriti and her family is in contact with us, hopefully he will be stable by tomorrow."

Why the wedding was postponed

Smriti Mandhana, known to be deeply attached to her father, decided to delay the ceremony until his condition improves. The wedding with music composer Palash Munchal was scheduled to take place on Sunday.

Tuhin Mishra, Mandhana’s manager, said the health emergency unfolded earlier in the day.

“Smriti's father, Mr. Shrinivas Mandhana was having breakfast this morning, and his health started deteriorating. We waited thinking he would recover soon, but it didn't improve,” he said.

An ambulance was called as a precaution, and Shrinivas was shifted to hospital.

“So we thought not to take any risk and called an ambulance, and he has been taken to the hospital. He is under observation,” Mishra added.

How the family responded

Mishra said Mandhana chose to postpone her wedding immediately out of concern for her father.

“Smriti is very close to her father. So, she has decided to postpone the marriage, which was going to happen today, till her father is fine."

He also quoted what doctors conveyed to the family.

“The doctor has said he (Mandhana's father) will have to be in the hospital for the time being. We are also in shock and hope that he recovers quickly because it's a big occasion for everyone.”

Mishra urged respect for the family’s privacy.

“So, Smriti is very clear, she wants her father to be okay first, and later she will get married. I would request you to respect the family's privacy at this time.”

What was planned before the health scare

A week-long celebration had already begun in Sangli, Mandhana’s hometown in Maharashtra, ahead of the much-anticipated wedding. However, all events are now on hold as the family awaits her father’s recovery.