CHENNAI: The last week and a half has been life-changing for Danni Wyatt-Hodge. The England opener and her wife Georgie Wyatt-Hodge welcomed their first daughter, Daisy, on May 20, 2026 into the world. After missing the New Zealand series and spending time with family for the birth of Daisy, Danni is now gearing up to get back onto the field in the T20I series against India as a mother.
"It's been absolutely incredible. I still can't believe it actually. Little Daisy is so cute, love her to bits," Danni, who could not hide her grin, told this daily. "I can't really describe it (holding her for the first time). Me and Georgie were both like 'Wow! Like, she's ours' and I still can't believe it to be honest. You just feel that love straight away don't you? That she's our baby and you just get handed this baby and that's yours forever. You have got to look after her and show her the ways, give her a cricket bat," the 35-year-old said with a beaming smile during the conversation facilitated by Sony Sports Network on Wednesday.
The feeling of becoming a mother is still sinking in for Danni, but her perspectives towards life slowly started to change from the moment she knew they were going to be parents last September. "It puts things into perspective more. Cricket is just a game and life's all about making sure your family is healthy and happy and all that, isn't it? It's just really good for me to have something else to focus on because cricket can get so mentally exhausting. It's a funny game. So it's going to be really nice to have a great balance this summer.
"We have got the World Cup coming up. These games against India are going to be massive as well, got The Hundred, the Test match (at Lord's against India) as well. It's going to be really nice to be able to come home and switch off and be there for Daisy and my wife Georgie as well. People do say or get ready for no sleep and they are not wrong (laughs) but she's worth it and yeah, it's an incredible experience and Georgie my wife was absolutely incredible throughout the whole birth," reflected the England opener.
While Georgie and Daisy will come to the venue and watch Danni play in the later stages of the T20 World Cup, the 35-year-old is excited to take the field knowing she has a new cheerleader, and someone to play for. "I'm really excited to get back out there. I've played a lot of cricket in the last few months or so. I'm just full of excitement and love and happiness at the minute. If I can walk out onto the pitch feeling like this then, I'm going to give myself the best chance to go out there and perform for England and play for Daisy as well now. Not just myself and the team and my family, we have got an extra supporter, which is really nice and makes it even more special doesn't it, to go out there and do my best for my daughter," an excited Danni said.
The first challenge in front of Danni is the three T20Is against India which starts Thursday (Danni will be available from the second game), and the senior opener is ready for it. "It's another great opportunity to play one of the best teams in the world. We love playing India and we play against each other a lot. We are very familiar with the players and what they bring to the table. Can't beat time in the middle for preparation and all of us in the squad have been playing county cricket. We just got to go out there and be hungry to contribute and when it comes to the World Cup, we were really on it."
"We know India have got some fantastic spinners and as they always do. From Kranti Gaud to Renuka Singh, we know how threatening they are up front with a new ball. I know Renuka was telling me at Gujarat Giants that she loves playing in England because the conditions favour her bowling. Hopefully, she doesn't get too much movement out there But they always pose a massive challenge to us. We are going to have to really be on our game to win that series, but we're really looking forward to it," she signed off.
Watch India Women's Tour of England 2026 starting from May 28th 2026, from 11:00 PM IST live on Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD and Sony LIV.
