India women make history with first ICC World Cup, receive global praise

In a landmark moment for Indian cricket, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian women’s team clinched their maiden ICC Women’s World Cup title with a 52-run victory over South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday night. The triumph, witnessed by a packed crowd of 40,000, marked the nation’s first ICC trophy in women’s cricket history and drew widespread praise from across the sporting fraternity.

Former India captain and veteran cricketer Diana Edulji described the occasion as a “red-letter day” for women’s cricket in India, expressing immense pride in the team’s achievement. “I’m very happy today and a proud woman cricketer. All the hard work of the last 50 years has borne fruit today,” Edulji said. “They deserve all the accolades; they played wonderful cricket and today, they truly played like champions.”

Reflecting on India’s past near misses, Edulji recalled the 2017 final loss to England, saying that the team had been “hungry for this victory” ever since. “It’s a long journey, but a fruitful one,” she said, extending special praise to young cricketers Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh, who have now won both the U-19 and senior World Cups. She also commended the home crowd for their unwavering support, adding, “What better gift to give, winning it at home with 40,000 people watching.”

Former England spinner Monty Panesar also hailed India’s victory as a defining moment in the country’s cricketing history, calling it the “biggest win since 2011,” when India’s men’s team lifted the World Cup on home soil. “It’s absolutely brilliant to see the women win the World Cup final, probably the biggest victory in the history of Indian women’s cricket,” Panesar said. “They can now believe they can achieve anything and become number one.”

India’s win came after a strong all-round performance, with Deepti Sharma and Shafali Verma starring with both bat and ball. After being put in to bat, India set South Africa a formidable target of 299. In reply, South Africa appeared well poised during the chase but faltered following Deepti’s crucial breakthrough. The off-spinner dismissed Annerie Dercksen to trigger a collapse, with the visitors crumbling from 209/5 to 246 all out. Deepti finished with impressive bowling figures of 5/39, while Shafali and Sree Charani provided key support with timely wickets.

For South Africa, captain Laura Wolvaardt fought valiantly with a century (101), but her effort went in vain as India maintained control in the closing overs.

The victory held special significance for captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who was featuring in her fifth World Cup. Having made her international debut in 2009, Kaur’s leadership and persistence finally culminated in India’s long-awaited world title, a triumph that has etched the team’s name in cricketing history and inspired a new generation of women athletes across the nation.