The time has come for one of the most-awaited blockbuster tournaments of the year, with the arrival of the upcoming 13th edition of the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025, hosted by India and Sri Lanka from 30th September 2025 to 2nd November 2025.
Cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar believes this World Cup will serve as a watershed moment for women’s cricket, one that could reshape the fabric of the sport in the country, much like the impact of India’s 1983 men’s triumph.
On the eve of the tournament, Tendulkar, an ICC Hall of Famer, drew a powerful parallel with India’s iconic cricketing past. “That win told an entire generation of young Indians that dreams need not be constrained by boundaries,” he recalled, revisiting Kapil Dev’s heroic 175* against Zimbabwe that has since become cricketing folklore. For Tendulkar, the Women’s World Cup represents more than just the pursuit of silverware; to him, it is about “igniting countless dreams.”
The veteran hailed the role played by India’s two standout batters, Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, in pushing the women’s game into mainstream consciousness. Harmanpreet’s epic 171* against Australia in the 2017 World Cup semi-final continues to inspire. “It was not just an innings; it was a statement,” Tendulkar noted, underlining how her audacity and courage placed women’s cricket firmly on center stage.
Smriti Mandhana, too, enters this tournament in sensational form. Fresh off a record-breaking 50-ball century against Australia in the recently concluded ODI series, the fastest ever by an Indian in women’s ODIs and the second-fastest overall, Mandhana amassed 300 runs in three matches, claiming the Player of the Series award. Tendulkar celebrated her “silken grace” and “natural rhythm,” adding that her strokeplay has become symbolic of a confident, modern India.
India will undoubtedly look to their captain, Harmanpreet, leading the nation for the first time in an ODI World Cup, and Mandhana, her trusted deputy, to spearhead the ambitions of clinching a maiden ICC Women’s World Cup title at a senior level. While India has come agonizingly close before, finishing runner-up in 2005 and 2017, the stage is set for another historic chapter.
Beyond cricketing excellence, Tendulkar emphasized the broader significance of the tournament, praising the ICC’s landmark decision to announce record prize money for the 2025 edition. “It sends a powerful message that women’s cricket deserves not just applause, but equal respect,” he said. Such recognition, he argues, can drive structural change and challenge long-held perceptions, validating the women’s game on par with its male counterparts.
For the Indian maestro, the players will shoulder more than sporting pressure. “They will not just be representing India in a sporting contest. They will be carrying with them the hopes of millions, the possibility of inspiring a generation, and the power to redefine what is achievable.” The weight of expectation is immense, but so too is the opportunity to etch their names in history.
As the tournament returns to Indian soil for the first time since 2013, and the fourth time overall following the 1978, 1997, and 2013 editions, the anticipation is immense. Eight teams will battle for global supremacy, and India begins its campaign against Sri Lanka, led by the seasoned Chamari Athapaththu, at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on September 30 from 3 PM IST. For Harmanpreet, it will be her fifth World Cup appearance but her first as captain, a milestone that adds extra significance to India’s opening contest.
Nearly four decades after Indian cricket’s landscape was transformed in 1983, Tendulkar believes this World Cup has the potential to provide women’s cricket with its own defining leap. From the silken drives of Mandhana to the fearless power of Harmanpreet, India’s women cricketers now have the chance to carry forward a new legacy.
As Tendulkar put it: “Just as 1983 gave Indian cricket a new identity, I believe this World Cup can do the same for women’s cricket in India.”
(Quotes sourced from ICC Press Release)
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