Amol Muzumdar never experienced the highs of an India cricketer but now he is a World Cup winning head coach -- only the third in the history of Indian cricket after Gary Kirsten and Rahul Dravid.
Women's cricket is no longer a career option, it would be a calling for the millions of girls, whose parents have remained sceptical about their daughters dreaming about wearing India Blues.
Deepti Sharma and Shafali Verma guided India to a historic 52-run victory over South Africa which saw the ICC Women's World Cup 2025 hosts lift the trophy for the first time.
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.
Skipper Alyssa Healy led from the front with a masterful 142 as Australia pulled off a record chase of 331 to beat India by three wickets in their Women's World Cup group match on Sunday.
There was no money, sponsors didn't make a beeline and foreign tours were an ordeal, but there were women of steel who believed in the old adage that "the show must go on." And Nutan Gavaskar was the first among equals, one of the torchbearers of the women's cricket movement in India back then in 1973.
Indian top-order's strike-rate not a concern but big scores are expected in next matches: Muzumdar
Fast bowler Arundhati Reddy is likely to be fit for India's women's World Cup 2025 opener against Sri Lanka on September 30 after figuring in the second warm-up match against New Zealand and taking two wickets in nine overs on Saturday.
Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal's 212-run stand against New Zealand is India's highest in Women's World Cup history.
India will search for a spark of magic reminiscent of skipper Harmanpreet Kaur's legendary knock eight years ago as they take on the mighty Australia in the World Cup semi-final on Thursday.
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.
'I think everyone's shot selections at that time... we could have done better with our shot selections.'
Skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt led from the front with a sparkling hundred as England beat India by 153 runs in their warm-up game ahead of the ICC Women's World Cup, in Bengaluru, on Thursday.
The four dropped catches let Australia, who would be India's toughest opponents apart from England in the women's World Cup scheduled later this month, off the hook and they managed to finish the task of chasing 281 runs in double-quick time.
'When I first entered the team, Mithali di (Mithali Raj) and Jhulan di (Jhulan Goswami) were our seniors, and to now see the transition with Harman di and Smriti leading together is really special. They've created an environment where everyone wants to give their all for the team.'
'I think we have got a very settled batting lineup. Would not like to shuffle it around too much but when the need arises, you know we are flexible about it.'
'We'll sit down and review -- see what went well, where we can improve, and how we can keep learning every day. There'll be a meeting for that. One game won't change our mindset.'
Both teams began their World Cup campaigns in contrasting fashion. Hosts India defeated Sri Lanka by 59 runs, while Pakistan, collapsed against Bangladesh, losing by seven wickets in a match where they struggled against both pace and spin.
Harmanpreet was quick to highlight fielding as the area that India needs to address quickly before facing South Africa and Australia on Thursday and Sunday, respectively.
The Indian women's cricket team will look to end a 47-year wait for its maiden ICC title when it takes the field at the ODI World Cup starting with a clash against Sri Lanka.
Mandhana dropped one spot to second after totalling 115 runs across the three matches against England.
India recovered to 43/1 in 10 overs when the players were forced off the field in Guwahati.
Earlier, after incessant rain interrupted the exciting contest, South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt won the toss and opted to field against the hosts India.
India defeated Pakistan by 88 runs in their Women's World Cup match in Colombo 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.
Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur became the first visiting batter to score three Women's ODI centuries in England.
'This Indian team is eager to thrive in the challenging conditions and ready to write a glorious chapter in the rich history of Indian cricket, says India captain Harmanpreet Kaur.
Yuvraj, Mithali give pointers for Indian women's at the Trophy unveiling ceremony in Mumbai on Monday. The ICC Women's World Cup commences on September 30.
'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.'
Real-estate firms have welcomed the Goods and Services Tax Council's reforms, expecting better affordability for buyers, spurring demand. The council has reduced the rate on cement from 28 per cent to 18 per cent, while the rate on sand lime bricks or stone inlay work and granite blocks has been cut to 5 per cent from 12 per cent.
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.
India were served well by their top order batters with each of them hitting their stride to make significant contributions, even as the middle order players did not get going.
Malhotra said India will be strong contenders to land the title in the showpiece, citing the right blend of youth and experience in the Harmanpreet Kaur-led squad.
India's recent run of victories has bolstered confidence but the women's selection panel, headed by Neetu David, will face some tricky questions on the inclusion of Shafali Verma and pacer Renuka Thakur when it meets in Mumbai on Tuesday to pick the squad for the ODI World Cup.
A superb 84-ball 102 from skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and a splendid 6-52 from young pacer Kranti Goud helped India Women steer to a sensational 13-run win in the final ODI against England to clinch the three-match series 2-1 at Chester-le-Street, Durham, on Tuesday.
An unbeaten half-century by Deepti Sharma guided India to a four-wicket win over England in the first Women's ODI in Southampton on Wednesday.
Pakistan women's cricket team captain Fatima Sana draws inspiration from India's World Cup-winning skipper MS Dhoni
India took an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series, with the final game scheduled to be played in Birmingham on Saturday.
Deepti Sharma revealed that her stunning one-handed slog sweep which went for a six off England pacer Lauren Bell is a shot she has learnt from Rishabh Pant.
Shafali Verma smashed 176 runs at a strike rate of 158.56 during the T20I series against England to jump four spots to ninth place with 655 points.
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