The Indian women’s cricket team created history on Sunday, clinching their first-ever Women’s Cricket World Cup title with a spectacular 52-run victory over South Africa at the Dr DY Patil Stadium.
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side delivered an extraordinary performance, with Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma starring in a landmark win.
In a heartwarming celebration that captured global attention, Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues shared a picture on social media showing them sleeping next to the coveted World Cup trophy—a gesture reminiscent of Rohit Sharma’s iconic T20 World Cup celebration. Jemimah Rodrigues, who played a match-winning knock of 127* in the semi-final against Australia, captioned her Instagram post, “Are we still dreaming?”
Other teammates, including Arundhati Reddy and Radha Yadav, also joined the celebrations with the trophy, marking an unforgettable moment in Indian women’s cricket history.
India’s journey to the title was a testament to resilience. Despite losing three matches in the group stage—against South Africa, Australia, and England—India’s decisive win against New Zealand secured their place in the semi-finals. Many doubted India’s chances against Australia in the semi-final, but Jemimah Rodrigues delivered an unbeaten 127-run performance, steering India to a record chase of 339.
In the final, Shafali Verma’s 87-run innings set the foundation for India’s total of 298. Deepti Sharma’s all-round brilliance—scoring a fifty and taking five crucial wickets—ensured a 52-run victory. With this performance, Deepti became the first cricketer, male or female, to achieve this feat in a World Cup knockout match, joining Yuvraj Singh (2011) as the only Indians to do so.
This historic triumph marks a watershed moment for women’s cricket in India and the world, inspiring millions of aspiring athletes.
