When India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur lifted the ICC Women’s World Cup trophy at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, it wasn’t just a sporting victory; it was vindication. A team once dismissed as inconsistent had turned heartbreak into history.

For Harmanpreet, one of India’s most seasoned middle-order batters, who had lived through the near-misses of 2017 and 2020, the moment carried extra weight. “Our World Cup began that night," she said, recalling the turning point few had noticed, the night India lost to England in the group stage.

The Night That Changed Everything
India’s World Cup campaign didn’t begin like that of champions. It opened with a mix of promise and pressure. India started strongly — all-rounder Deepti Sharma and batter Amanjot Kaur’s composed partnership helped secure a comfortable win over Sri Lanka, followed by a convincing performance against Pakistan that had the people believing again.
But the momentum wobbled soon after. In Visakhapatnam, India was bowled out for 251, and despite early breakthroughs, they couldn’t stop South Africa from chasing it down. Nadine de Klerk’s composed unbeaten 84 guided the visitors to 252 for 7 in 48.5 overs, sealing a three-wicket win and handing India their first major setback of the tournament.
The next blow came soon after, where even a commanding total of 330, built around Pratika Rawal’s 75 and Smriti Mandhana’s 80, wasn’t enough. Australia hunted it down with just a few balls to spare, leaving India with back-to-back defeats, and a growing sense that they could build, but not close.
Then came England, the emotional hinge of India’s campaign. England set 289, anchored by Heather Knight’s 109. India were 210/2 with Smriti Mandhana (88) and Harmanpreet Kaur (70) in charge before a sudden middle-order slide flipped the game. Deepti Sharma’s fighting fifty kept hope alive, but India still needed 22 off the last 12 balls and fell four runs short, a third straight defeat that sharpened the scrutiny and steeled the dressing room. Commentators questioned leadership; fans debated whether Harmanpreet should continue as captain.
Inside the dressing room, though, something changed. “Not a single player said ‘what will happen now’ when things were not going well, especially after the heartbreaking loss against England," Harmanpreet later said. “That night changed a lot of things for us. We thought we would have to come out with a stronger mindset, and everyone came together even more."
Outside, the noise was deafening. Harmanpreet, however, refused to respond. “It is a part of our life, criticism, because it brings some balance. I don’t blame those who criticise us. For me, it is important to keep things balanced within the team," she told reporters after the final. Alongside vice-captain Mandhana, she decided to build what they called an “internal bubble", a quiet zone where only the team’s voices mattered. “We spoke that we are at home and our World Cup begins now," Harmanpreet said.
That declaration, half defiance, half promise, became the true starting point of India’s World Cup.

Turning Point: From Fractures To Focus
The turnaround began quietly. Against New Zealand in Navi Mumbai, India, rediscovered rhythm. Mandhana and debutant batter Pratika Rawal stitched a record 198-run opening partnership, and middle-order batter Jemimah Rodrigues’ unbeaten 76 guided them to a 53-run victory under the DLS method. A rain-curtailed match against Bangladesh followed, sealing their semi-final berth. The team that had once been paralysed by pressure now seemed liberated by it.
Behind the scenes, head coach Amol Mujumdar’s message was clear: stop playing safe, start playing free. “We started celebrating even small moments that brought us closer," Mandhana would later say. Confidence replaced caution, and the dressing room rediscovered laughter.
By the time India entered the semi-finals, the difference was visible — the fielding sharper, the communication louder, and the body language lighter. The old fear of falling short had been replaced by the conviction that this team could win from anywhere.

The Semi-Final Redemption
If one performance defined India’s turnaround, it was batter Jemimah Rodrigues’ unbeaten 127 against Australia in the semi-final. Her innings, now regarded as one of the finest ever by an Indian batter in a knockout match, came from a place of deep personal struggle. The 25-year-old had been dropped from the XI for the England game after a string of low scores earlier in the tournament. What few outside knew was that she had been battling severe anxiety throughout that phase.
“I was going through a lot of anxiety at the start of the tournament," she said after the semi-final. “Before a few games also, I used to call my mum and cry, cry the entire time, let it all out, because when you’re going through anxiety, you just feel numb. You don’t know what to do. You’re trying to be yourself."
Her comeback was rooted in quiet support. “There was bowler Arundhati Reddy, whom I think almost every day I’ve cried in front of," she said. “Later, I was joking, I said, You don’t come in front of me, I’ll start crying.’ But she checked on me every single day. And there was Smriti [Mandhana] who helped me. There’s been spinner Radha Yadav, who’s always been there taking care of me."
She credited her parents, too: “My mum and dad supported me a lot. My mom is also, she’s as emotional as I am, but she went through a lot. My family went through a lot. But everyone stood by me and believed in me when I didn’t, when I couldn’t."
When she was dropped against England, the pain deepened. “That really hit me," she admitted. “When you’re dropped, you have a lot of doubts because I always want to contribute to the team. But that day, I couldn’t do much sitting out. And then when you come back in, it’s a lot more pressure with everything that was happening in the past month. But sometimes all you need to do is just hang in there and things fall into place."
Even as she reached her milestones, she didn’t celebrate. “When I reached my 50, when I reached my 100, I didn’t celebrate because I thought, what would make me happier — a hundred or India winning? And I wanted to wake up the next morning with that smile that we are playing the final."
Australia, who had raced to 193 for 2 in 30 overs, looked poised for 360, but medium-pacer Sree Charani and Deepti Sharma dragged them back, restricting them to 338. “With the way they started, they were 30 runs short," Jemimah said. “DY Patil is such a pitch, any score is chaseable. So I just knew I had to be there."
Her calm guided India home, and when the winning shot pierced cover, it felt like a collective redemption.

The Final: The 47-Year Wait Ends
On 2 November, India met South Africa at DY Patil in the final. A full house roared as the women in blue took the field. India’s innings of 298 for 7 was anchored by opener Shafali Verma’s fearless 87 and all-rounder Deepti Sharma’s composed 58. When South Africa began their chase, Deepti’s off-spin undid them — her spell of 5 for 39 reduced the visitors from 130 for 1 to 213 all out. India won by 52 runs.
India scripted history as they lifted their maiden World Cup trophy after a nail-biting win, a 47-year wait ending in glory. Shafali Verma was named Player of the Match, and Deepti Sharma was named Player of the Tournament. “We have always had the talent," she told Hindustan Times. “We just needed that one moment when everything clicked."
The celebrations extended beyond the ground. Soon after the triumph, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia announced a cash prize of Rs 51 crore for the ICC Women’s World Cup-winning Indian team, a gesture that reflected not just pride but the growing stature of women’s cricket in India.
Saikia said, “Since Jay Shah took charge of the BCCI as secretary from 2019 to 2024, he has implemented many changes in women’s cricket, including addressing pay parity. Last month, ICC Chairman Jay Shah increased the women’s prize money by 300 per cent, raising it from $2.88 million to $14 million. These initiatives have significantly promoted women’s cricket. BCCI has also announced a prize of Rs 51 crore for the entire team, including players, coaches, and support staff."

A Journey Decades In The Making
To understand what this title means, it’s necessary to look back to 1976, when India played its first women’s Test. For decades, the sport survived in the shadows. The 2005 World Cup final under batter Mithali Raj hinted at what could be. The 2017 Lord’s final, where India fell nine runs short against England, made them household names but left deep wounds. “Every World Cup we go in, there have been heartbreaks, but we always believed we had a responsibility with women’s cricket," Mandhana told Reuters after the win.
The 2025 victory stands on the shoulders of those eras — of seam bowler Jhulan Goswami’s grit, Mithali’s quiet authority, and generations who played without pay, coverage, or contracts. The merger of the Women’s Cricket Association of India with the BCCI in 2006 changed infrastructure, while the Women’s Premier League, launched in 2023, brought professionalism and financial independence. By 2025, India had both the depth and exposure to match the world’s best, and the mindset to finish the job.

The Leaders And The Legacy
Harmanpreet’s leadership during this campaign was measured, empathetic, and tactical. “When things go wrong, you have to stay together, not fall apart," she said after the final. Her bond with Mandhana anchored the dressing room through turbulence. “We have played a lot of World Cups together," Harmanpreet said. “We would lose at home and were not able to break it. This time, we decided we would not leave it."
Shafali Verma’s aggression defined India’s new style, while Deepti’s all-round consistency reflected how far the player development system had come. Yet the soul of the team, the human heartbeat, remained players like Jemimah, who reminded the world that vulnerability and strength can coexist.

Beyond The Boundary: From Heartbreak To History
Indian sport has known its share of near-misses — Milkha Singh’s fourth place in 1960, Dipa Karmakar’s 0.15-point heartbreak in 2016, and India’s own losses in the 2005 and 2017 Women’s World Cup finals. For decades, those stories defined the nation’s relationship with glory: tantalisingly close, yet unfinished. On 2 November 2025, that cycle broke.
As the fireworks lit up the Navi Mumbai sky, India’s women were no longer the almost-champions; they were the world champions. Sachin Tendulkar captured it best: “1983 inspired an entire generation to dream big and chase those dreams. Today, our Women’s Cricket Team has done something truly special. They have inspired countless young girls across the country to pick up a bat and ball and believe that they,y t, can lift that trophy one day."
If 1983 belonged to Kapil Dev’s men, 2025 belongs to Harmanpreet Kaur’s women. The wait was over. From heartbreak to history, India’s women had rewritten their story, and this time, they wrote it in gold.