/english-betterindia/media/media_files/2025/11/03/tbi-featured-image-92-2025-11-03-12-04-55.jpg)
Last night, Harmanpreet & Co. didn’t just win a match; they changed the story of Indian cricket forever.
/english-betterindia/media/media_files/2025/11/03/win-photos-2025-11-03-12-05-36.jpg)
It was at the stroke of midnight when a ball from Nadine de Klerk’s bat came flying towards Harmanpreet Kaur — and she caught it! The Indian women defeated South Africa by 52 runs at the Dr DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
/english-betterindia/media/media_files/2025/11/03/win-pics-2025-11-03-12-06-39.jpg)
In seconds, the women in blue — drenched in sweat and soil — rushed towards Kaur to celebrate India’s historic ICC Women’s World Cup victory.
/english-betterindia/media/media_files/2025/11/03/g4xn6hfweaarhak-2025-11-03-12-07-48.jpg)
Moments later, the same hands that caught the flying ball lifted the trophy.
/english-betterindia/media/media_files/2025/11/03/bcci-women-2025-11-03-12-08-43.jpg)
The win was stitched together by women who came from villages and tier-2 towns — who dreamt big in small places and practised on uneven pitches. They never gave up, even when cricket once failed to recognise them.
/english-betterindia/media/media_files/2025/11/03/win-pics-2025-11-03-12-10-00.jpg)
Stars of the evening
Shafali Verma – the fearless teenager from Rohtak who once cut her hair short just to sneak into boys’ nets, batted as if the world owed her one final explosion.
/english-betterindia/media/media_files/2025/11/03/win-pics-2025-11-03-12-11-34.jpg)
Deepti Sharma – the meticulous all-rounder from Agra, who travelled 12 km every day to train and now has a street named after her, anchored the chaos with discipline.
/english-betterindia/media/media_files/2025/11/03/win-pics-2025-11-03-12-12-24.jpg)
Amanjot Kaur – the unassuming 25-year-old who wasn’t allowed to play with the boys in her neighbourhood, and whose father endured taunts, lit up the field with a sharp run-out and the match-winning catch of Wolvaardt.
/english-betterindia/media/media_files/2025/11/03/win-pics-2025-11-03-12-13-29.jpg)
Richa Ghosh – still barely out of her teens, from the cricket-bare streets of Siliguri, smiled through every crisis, turning pressure into theatre; her effortless big-hitting powered India to a defendable total in Sunday’s final.
/english-betterindia/media/media_files/2025/11/03/win-pics-2025-11-03-12-14-14.jpg)
Harmanpreet Kaur – her journey from Punjab’s backyard games to lifting the World Cup trophy mirrors the story of Indian women’s cricket itself: improvisation, endurance, and the relentless fight to be taken seriously.
/english-betterindia/media/media_files/2025/11/03/tbi-featured-image-93-2025-11-03-12-18-13.jpg)
Jemimah Rodrigues – polished yet quietly stubborn, she embodies what a professional Indian woman cricketer looks like today: confident, self-contained, and unafraid of the camera or the scoreboard.
/english-betterindia/media/media_files/2025/11/03/wil-pics-2025-11-03-12-18-59.jpg)
Little did anyone know that the DY Patil Stadium — and the 35,000-plus fans who had filled every seat — were about to witness history. That night, Harmanpreet & Co. didn’t just win a match; they changed the story of Indian cricket forever.
/english-betterindia/media/media_files/2025/11/03/img-20251103-wa0007-2025-11-03-12-14-56.jpg)
Source: The Indian Express
