Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur has created history. She led India to their first ever senior ICC title in women’s cricket. The tournament began way back in 1973, and India had come very close in 2005 and 2017 but finished as runners-up. But in 2025, the long wait is finally over, the drought has ended, and India are the world champions.
Speaking after the final on her route to the iconic Gateway of India for a picturesque photoshoot, Harmanpreet could not hide her excitement. The emotions of her face were vivid, and she felt extremely special to finally lead India to their maiden World title.
“We are going to capture such moments of life which we have always dreamt of. To win the trophy and go for a photo-shoot, this is an instance which I was dreaming of for so many years, and finally that day has arrived, and I am super excited,” she said.
For her, this win was not just about cricket, but also about emotions. She shared how she had always dreamt of this day since childhood, and how the day has finally come where her name has been etched in golden letters in Indian cricketing history.
“Personally, this is an emotional moment. Since childhood when I started watching this game on TV, this has been a dream for me to win the World Cup, and if I got an opportunity to lead the team, I did not want to miss the opportunity. This is God’s magic as eventually everything has fallen into place together, and finally, we are the World Champions,” she added.
Even after a short night of sleep, the Indian captain felt peaceful and thankful. Her tiredness disappeared once she realised she was now a world champion.
“Pretty relaxed. Though only sleeping for 3-4 hours, I’m so fresh even after being devoid of 8-9 hours of sleep, which is rare for me. That shows that when you are crowned the champions, you feel absolutely relaxed, and that is how I’m feeling right now. Very relaxed, very humble and very grateful. Thank you, God, for giving this team as what we had dreamt of is that which we are living right now,” she explained.
India played against England in the finale of the 2017 World Cup. The team was cruising in the run chase but fell agonisingly close. Kaur looked back at the heartbreak and said that defeat gave the team strength and made this victory even more special.
“In the 2017 World Cup, we were heartbroken as we came pretty close to winning the trophy and fell short by 9 runs. We could not comprehend how we lost as the game was completely in our control.
“But, when we came back to India, the kind of welcome and motivation we got from Indian fans showed that not only the players, but the entire country was waiting for the moment when women’s cricket would do something special for the country. Now, it is everyone’s prayers and blessings that have helped us to cross the line,” she said.
She said that the win was not achieved by the players alone, it was shared by the fans in the stands and by millions watching from home, “I don’t think we were playing alone in the stadium. People in the stadium and all those watching on TV came together and this wasn’t possible to be done alone.”
Finally, Harmanpreet reflected on her journey from a small girl who loved holding a bat to the woman who brought glory to India. Her story is one of belief, hard work and faith in destiny.
“From Day 1 when a child understands likes and dislikes, I’ve always seen a bat in my hand. I still remember that we used to take the bat from our father’s kit which was eventually too big, and one fine day, he found an old bat and cut it into shape for us to play. When we used to watch India play while holding the bat, I dreamt of playing for the country. I didn’t even know about women’s cricket but still I was waiting for the moment to don the blue jersey.
“For a girl who did not know about women’s cricket but still dreaming to bring a change in our country, this means so much to me. Never stop dreaming and you never know where your destiny takes you. Never think about the possibility of the outcomes; always have the self-belief that it will happen. I knew that it would be possible and that exactly happened today.”
If a young girl from Moga, Punjab, can dream and make it come true, then every girl in this country has the potential to do the unthinkable. Harmanpreet Kaur’s story inspires millions of girls to give flight to their dreams and turn them into reality.
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