India's golden night: Harmanpreet Kaur’s trailblazers lift game-changing ODI World title

Navi Mumbai: From heartbreaks to history, Indian women’s cricket completed its long, unfinished journey to glory as Harmanpreet Kaur’s fearless team outlasted South Africa by 52 runs in a gripping final to lift their first-ever ICC Women's World Cup crown here on Sunday.

Indian women's cricket finally touched its Everest as years of toil and near-misses culminated in an evening of redemption and history for the hosts.

India's breakthrough in the 13th edition of the global showpiece made them only the fourth team to win the trophy, joining Australia (7), England (4) and New Zealand (1) in the pantheon of champions.

With the victory, Harmanpreet’s team finally buried the ghosts of past heartbreaks — the 2005 and 2017 finals — and delivered India’s much-awaited World title, a watershed moment for the game in the country.

After posting 298 for 7 — the second-highest total in tournament history — India held their nerve to bundle out South Africa for 246 in 45.3 overs.

The Proteas’ charge revolved around captain Laura Wolvaardt’s magnificent 98-ball 101, but the brilliance of Deepti Sharma (55 and 5/39) and Shafali Verma (87 and 2/36) ensured India’s moment of destiny could not be denied.

Deepti, Shafali script India’s golden night

Fittingly, India’s triumph was shaped by two players with contrasting journeys.

Deepti, the ever-reliable workhorse, finished as the tournament’s highest wicket-taker (21) and bowled with guile and grace on the grandest stage.

Shafali, on the other hand, was a story of second chances — drafted into the squad from outside the preferred group after Pratika Rawal’s injury.

Confined to domestic cricket with Haryana weeks ago, the 21-year-old dynamo returned to the world stage with an innings of audacity and maturity — 87 off 84 balls — before taking two crucial wickets to tilt the game decisively India’s way.

Her re-entry into the XI proved a masterstroke as she and Smriti Mandhana (45) gave India the perfect launchpad with a 104-run opening stand, forcing South Africa’s bowlers into disarray after a two-hour rain delay.

Mandhana’s dismissal denied her a half-century, but it capped off a record-breaking campaign — 434 runs at 54.25, the most by any Indian batter in Women’s World Cup history, including a century and two fifties.

Star of India's semifinal win over mighty Australia, Jemimah appeared to be prepping up for another long haul in the middle, but a superb low catch from skipper Laura Wolvaardt at cover off Khaka foiled her plans in the 30th over.

With two set batters back in the dugout, India's hopes were pinned on skipper Harmanpreet for a defining innings, but that was not to be. Proteas resist, India stand tall South Africa began their reply briskly, with Tazmin Brits (23) and Wolvaardt adding 51 for the first wicket.

But the breakthrough came via Amanjot Kaur’s direct hit, and from there, India’s bowlers tightened the noose.

Shree Charani’s immaculate lines on a placid surface fetched Anneke Bosch’s wicket, before Shafali’s double strike rattled the middle order.

When Wolvaardt threatened to take the game away, Deepti struck twice in four balls — removing the Proteas skipper and Chloe Tryon (9) — to break the spine of the chase. She fittingly applied the finishing touch, dismissing Nadine de Klerk for her fifth wicket to spark celebrations of a lifetime.

A victory for generations

The night was soaked in symbolism.

Harmanpreet lifted the trophy that eluded Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami, India’s torchbearers for over two decades.

For the younger generation led by Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh, it marked the dawn of a new era — one where Indian women’s cricket finally stood shoulder to shoulder with the sport’s powerhouses.

As fireworks lit up the Navi Mumbai sky, the emotion on Harmanpreet’s face said it all. The wait was over.

From heartbreak to history, India’s women had finally rewritten their story — and this time, they wrote it in gold.

If June 25, 1983 was a watershed moment for Indian men's cricket, when Kapil's Devils beat the mighty West Indies at the Lord's, November 2, 2025 will be a seminal moment for women's cricket movement.

Rohit Sharma, who carries the scars of November 19, 2023, was watching the final from the stands with a prayer on his lips that Harmanpreet Kaur doesn't meet his fate.

For Harmanpreet, the lady who has done way more for Indian women's cricket than anyone can envisage, knows how much it hurts to lose a final as it happened eight summers back and her girls didn't let her down.

As she latched on to Nadine de Klerk's offering while back pedaling at extra cover, Ian Bishop fittingly called the moment "inspiring generations".

For head coach Amol Muzumdar, who couldn't wear the whites that he richly deserved, the global triumph with the women's national team would certainly heal those wounds that he has carried for years.