Harmanpreet: “This win changes everything”

It was more than just a trophy it was a turning point. For years, Indian women’s cricket had flirted with greatness, but as captain Harmanpreet Kaur rightly said, “To talk about change, we needed to win one big tournament.” On Sunday night in Navi Mumbai, that long-awaited moment finally arrived and with it, the game for women in India changed forever.

From Monday morning, cricket will no longer be just a career option for young girls; it will be a dream within reach. The World Cup triumph has transformed doubt into belief, especially for families once hesitant to let their daughters chase the blue jersey.

“We’ve been playing good cricket for years, but without that one big win, we couldn’t talk about change,” Harmanpreet said after the victory, still struggling to process the magnitude of it all. “I don’t know how to express it. I'm so happy and proud of this team.”

A team built beyond the metros

This Indian team reflects the new face of Indian cricket, diverse, grounded, and fiercely determined. Only one player, Jemimah Rodrigues, hails from a metro city. The rest come from smaller towns: Harmanpreet from Moga (Punjab), Smriti Mandhana from Sangli (Maharashtra), Richa Ghosh from Siliguri (West Bengal), Shafali Verma from Rohtak (Haryana), Deepti Sharma from Agra, Shree Charani from Eramalle (Andhra Pradesh), and Renuka Thakur from Rohru (Himachal Pradesh).

Many of them grew up playing with boys, carving their paths through limited infrastructure and countless challenges. “I used to play with boys, and within a year, my school principal picked me for the team. That’s how it all started,” Harmanpreet recalled.

Acknowledging the trailblazers

In victory, the captain’s humility shone through. Harmanpreet dedicated the triumph to the pioneers who paved the way for Jhulan Goswami and Anjum Chopra. “When I joined the team, Jhulan di was my biggest support. Anjum di too guided me in my early days. I’m grateful I could share this special moment with them,” she said emotionally.

Calm amid chaos

India’s journey to glory wasn’t smooth. The team suffered three consecutive defeats against South Africa, Australia, and England sparking doubts about their semifinal chances. But what impressed Harmanpreet most was the team’s composure.

“The last month was very interesting. Even when things didn’t go our way, nobody panicked. After losing to England, we were heartbroken, but our coach Amol Muzumdar reminded us ‘You can’t keep making the same mistakes. You have to cross that line.’ That night changed everything,” she said.

The team turned to visualisation and meditation to rebuild mentally, finding focus amid setbacks.

Shared heartbreaks, shared glory

Harmanpreet’s long-time ally Smriti Mandhana was the first person she mentioned when reflecting on the win. “We’ve lost so many World Cups together, finals, semifinals and each time we came home shattered. But we always said we’d start again from ball one,” she smiled.

This time, they did more than start again; they finished the job.

“We didn’t want to carry the weight of the past. We left those heartbreaks behind. This World Cup was a fresh start,” Harmanpreet said.

For a generation of girls watching from every corner of India, the message is clear: the wait is over, the dream is real, and change has finally arrived.