Follow UsCaptain Harmanpreet Kaur was “numb” and at a loss for words after India Women finally lifted their maiden ICC Women’s ODI World Cup trophy, defeating South Africa by 52 runs in the final at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai on November 2 (Sunday).
"I'm just trying to express what I'm feeling. I'm numb, I'm not able to understand. So, it's just that there were ups and downs, but the team had self-belief. I've been saying this since day one. We weren't looking to the left or right. We were only looking at our main end goal,” said Harmanpreet, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
"We felt we could win from the first ball itself because the way our team was playing in the last three games, a lot of things changed for us, especially our self-belief. We have played good cricket for a long time. We knew what we could do as a team. We knew there would be tough conditions for batting, but credit goes to Smriti (Mandhana) and Shafali (Verma); they handled the first 10 overs very well."
India’s long-awaited triumph was the result of resilience and belief. Put in to bat first, openers Mandhana (45 off 58) and Shafali (87 off 78) gave the team a perfect start, stitching a 104-run partnership in just 17.4 overs. Contributions from Jemimah Rodrigues (24 off 37), Harmanpreet (20 off 29), and Deepti Sharma (58 off 58) set the platform before Richa Ghosh’s fiery 34 off 24 balls powered India to a formidable 298/7 in 50 overs.
In response, South Africa’s captain and tournament top-scorer Laura Wolvaardt (101 off 98) kept India on their toes. It wasn’t until she was dismissed in the 42nd over that India truly felt in control. The visitors were eventually bowled out for 246 in 45.3 overs, sparking jubilant celebrations across the ground.
"Our aim was simple. We knew that if we thought of a big target, we would come under pressure. The main thing was to keep batting and keep playing our game. We tried to score 300 runs on the board; we were one run short. But after that, I think we came onto the field as a strong unit. Whenever we needed it, we got a breakthrough. It was a very good match,” Harmanpreet added.
"It seems easy to say now, but there was a lot of tension in between when they were batting - like Laura, she was not giving a chance. But at the end of the day, I'm feeling great. I don't know how to express it, but I'm just trying to tell you what I'm feeling."
After the historic win, the Indian players took a lap of honour around the packed stadium, joined by legends Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, and Anjum Chopra. For Harmanpreet, sharing the moment with her mentors was deeply emotional.
"Jhulan di was my biggest support. When I joined the team, she was leading it. She always supported me in my early days when I was very raw and didn't know much about cricket. Anjum di, too. Both of them have been a great support for me. I'm very grateful that I got to share a special moment with them. It was a very emotional moment. I think we all were waiting for this. Finally, we were able to touch this trophy."
Harmanpreet also spoke fondly about her long-time teammate Smriti Mandhana, who finished as the tournament’s second-highest run-getter with 434 runs at an average of 54.25 and a strike rate close to 100.
"I've played many World Cups with her. Every time we lost, we went home heartbroken and stayed quiet for a few days. When we returned, we always said, 'we have to start again from ball one'. It was heartbreaking because we played so many World Cups - reaching finals, semi-finals, and sometimes not even that far. We were always thinking, when will we break this?"
India’s road to glory was anything but straightforward. They started strongly with wins over Sri Lanka and Pakistan but stumbled with three consecutive losses to South Africa, Australia, and England. On the brink of elimination, a morale-boosting win over New Zealand reignited their campaign and carried them into the semi-finals.
Harmanpreet credited the turning point to the loss against England. "That night changed a lot for us. It had an impact on everyone. We were more prepared for the World Cup. We started visualisation and meditation. That showed we were here for something, and this time we had to do it."
Finally, reflecting on the electric atmosphere at the DY Patil Stadium, she added: "As soon as we got to know that our venue had been changed to DY Patil Stadium, we all got so happy because we've always played good cricket there. We said, 'We've come home now, and we'll start fresh.' We didn't want to look back at previous World Cups, we left them there. The new World Cup had just started."