With just 49 days to go for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, cricket fever is rising across India as the nation gears up to host the prestigious event. At a special countdown ceremony in Mumbai, 2011 World Cup hero Yuvraj Singh and women’s cricket legend Mithali Raj shared their insights on pressure, preparation, and the evolution of the sport.
Reflecting on the significance of hosting a World Cup at home, Yuvraj called the 50-over tournament “the World Cup”, adding that since “it’s happening in India… everybody should be really excited about it” because “these moments don’t come often in your life.”
He stressed that success requires patience and focus, saying he feels it’s “a great opportunity to create history” but warned that “from the start, you (shouldn’t) think you’re winning it… you have to experience the whole enigma of it, put in the process, and the results will come.”
Acknowledging the heartbreak of previous near-misses, Yuvraj noted that the women’s team “lost a couple of finals” and advised them to “enjoy this moment… be in the moment rather than thinking ahead,” before adding warmly, “We were supporting the boys. Now, it’s time to support the girls.”
He also spoke about the inevitable pressure of playing at home, reminding the players that “fans are always wanting fours and sixes, or wickets… they want entertainment” but winning a World Cup means “being prepared for times when things are not going well.”
Those are the moments, he said, when “experience, the self-belief, has to take over… every time you walk in the game, you have to believe that.”
Former skipper Mithali Raj was also alongside Yuvraj in the discussion panel and shared her experience on how women’s cricket has grown, right from her early years to reaching the final 2017 World Cup, where India ended up as the runners-up.
Mithali Raj, traced the sport’s growth back to a turning point in 2006 when it came under BCCI’s wing. “Coming under the BCCI was a huge thing… The infrastructure and domestic setup were all taken care of. Before that there was hardly any international cricket, and now the girls play regularly, which helps keep the momentum,” she explained.
She recalled a deeply personal memory from the 2009 T20 World Cup, saying, “My father saw me on TV for the first time… before that there wasn’t much in the women’s game. When it was televised live, my father watched it, and that helped me continue in the game.”
Another moment for her came in 2017 while watching the Champions Trophy. “Suddenly the commentators said that the 2017 Women’s World Cup was the next big ICC event… the captain’s faces were there with the logo. That really struck me,” she said.
For Mithali, the sport’s progress has been gradual rather than marked by a single milestone: “It wasn’t one moment, it’s been a journey, and it was good to have been a part of it.”
Looking ahead to the home World Cup, she praised the team’s recent form, saying, “The way the team has been doing over the last one year… beating England in England — with their confidence, and being there in the home World Cup, I think nothing better.”
Both icons agreed that the Indian women’s team’s best chance lies in trusting their process, staying grounded, and embracing the occasion when they take the field against Sri Lanka, in the curtain raiser, in Bengaluru on September 30.
Loves all things female cricket