A night before the historic final against South Africa, the Indian women's team captain received a special phone call and it was none other than the history maker himself.
Accepting the flaws in her game was fundamental to her resurgence as a more compact batter, India opener Shafali Verma said.
India won their maiden Women's World Cup title with a 52-run victory over South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday.
Loss to Australia in 2023 WC still rankles Surya, wants to play them in next year's T20 showpiece final
For greater good, Harmanpreet can make way for Smriti as captain: Shantha Rangaswamy
India have a mounting worry in the lack of runs so far from talismanic Smriti Mandhana, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and the energetic Jemimah Rodrigues.
Nadine de Klerk's four-fer, followed by a match-winning half-century, powered RCB to open their account with a win in the opening match of WPL 2026 against MI on Friday in Navi Mumbai.
Harmanpreet Kaur's side would become the fourth team to book the semifinal berth if they get the better of the White Ferns here on the familiar mat of the DY Patil Stadium.
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian side landed in the evening after completing their warm-up games in Bengaluru.
At the stroke of midnight, Harmanpreet Kaur created her legacy, "broke the barrier" and declared that this is not the end but just the beginning.
From travelling in unreserved coaches to cusp of history, Indian women's cricket set to turn a page
India will have a final opportunity to iron out any flaws, especially when responding to pressure situations, when they take on Bangladesh in their concluding fixture ahead of Women's World Cup semi-finals, in Navi Mumbai, on Sunday.
Half-centuries from Harleen Deol and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur helped India secure a four-wicket win via the DLS Method in their second ICC Women's World Cup warm-up match in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Agra welcomes home hero Deepti Sharma with 10km roaring roadshow
Respect over rivalry? India-Pakistan face-off awaits
Harmanpreet-led India scripted history on Sunday, defeating South Africa by 52 runs in the final to secure their maiden ICC Women's World Cup title.
Deepti Sharma and Shafali Verma's superb all-round showing powered India to a historic first-ever Women's ODI World Cup title after they outclassed South Africa by 52 runs in the final.
'The Women in Blue's final act drew a peak concurrency of 21 million viewers as Harmanpreet Kaur's team became the first Asian team to lift the Women's World Cup.'
Former England captain Nasser Hussain on Friday said Harmanpreet Kaur boasts of a fantastic World Cup record and it's time the Indian women's team skipper delivered like her Australian counterpart Alyssa Healy.
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side will face South Africa on Thursday and the defending champions Australia on October 12 at the ACA-VDCA stadium in Visakhapatnam.
India won their maiden Women's World Cup title with a 52-run victory over South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday.
India, who have never won the ODI World Cup in any of its previous 12 editions, will co-host the eight-team tournament with Sri Lanka with all eyes on Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. to end the long wait for a title.
She was adjudged the Player of the Tournament for her consistent all-round display throughout the showpiece event.
'Shafali is in our system, we have our eye on her and the more she plays she will be able to serve India in the future in ODIs.'
'...I think they deserve the trophy the way they played the semi-final game'
We're really working hard on fielding but don't know why we keep dropping catches: Harmanpreet
Perry hailed India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues for batting India into the World Cup final, saying their composure under pressure earned applause even from their dressing room.
Leading a side gets the best out of me: Delhi Capitals skipper Jemimah
Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Mumbai Indians by three wickets in Women's Premier League match.
'Now, the sport has the opportunity to transcend barriers -- of gender, of perception, of accessibility.'
Long before Vaishnavi Sharma picked up a cricket ball, she says her future as a cricketer was known to her astrologer father, Narendra Sharma.
WPL 2026 auction to be held on November 27 in New Delhi
After winning the ODI World Cup title by beating South Africa in the final in Navi Mumbai on Sunday, November 2, 2025, Harmanpreet's advice to budding youngsters is: "Never stop dreaming. You never know where your destiny will take you."
Shafali Verma turned doubt into destiny as India lifted their first-ever Women's World Cup title.
Drama struck even before the first delivery of the India-Pakistan Women's World Cup match at Colombo's R. Premadasa Stadium on Sunday
Harmanpreet before WC final: Know how it feels to lose, looking toward to experience winning
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led India will be playing an ODI World Cup final for the third time, having finished runners-up in 2005 and 2017 to Australia and England, respectively. This will be South Africa's maiden appearance in the final.
Jemimah stars in India's comprehensive eight-wicket win against Sri Lanka in first women's T20I
After being outplayed in the opener, Harmanpreet Kaur and her team roared back with a stunning 102-run victory, which was Australia's heaviest defeat in terms of runs. It was also India's first win over them in 12 matches.
If the men of 1983 gave India a reason to dream, the women of 2025 could give it something rarer -- the courage to live that dream in full daylight, under an open sky that finally belongs to them, points out Prem Panicker.
