Forged in faith and fire, India’s triumph ushers a new beginning

“I’m sure this time we will cross this line.”

That was Harmanpreet Kaur, wasting no time in responding to this writer’s question on Captain’s Day on a pleasant September Bengaluru afternoon ahead of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025.

After multiple near misses on previous World Cup campaigns, the sentiment of the public was one of near-resignation. The thought that the Indian Women’s Cricket team, despite possessing the talent, was incapable of crossing the final hurdle was almost a foregone conclusion.

Going into this campaign, therefore, Kaur knew that if the demons of the past were to be exorcised, home turf was perhaps the best place.

A scratchy start

When India got off the blocks with victories against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in their first two outings, the points were on the board, but the chinks in the hosts’ batting capabilities were there for all to see.

While the starts were being achieved, the conversions to match-winning knocks were missing.

And then came the crushing loss to South Africa in Vizag, followed by a rap on the knuckles from Australia, after which the gut-wrenching defeat to England at Indore left the hosts on the brink.

But amid these losses, the Indian batters found a semblance of form.

Mandhana, Kaur and Sharma, Rawal and Ghosh scored fifties – all knocks that kept the fire burning despite the headwinds.

In the bowling department, Shree Charani, Amanjot Kaur, Sharma, Gaud and Rana, all chipped in with wickets and spirited spells.

Clearly, the ingredients of a successful unit were there in plain sight. The question, however, was whether they could fire as a unit come the big moments.

The desire to win

Victory against New Zealand - with match-winning tons from Rawal and Mandhana, and wickets for each of the six Indian bowlers deployed on the night - instilled belief.

When the squad did make the semifinals, and despite having to face familiar foes in Australia and losing Rawal to injury, the team chose conviction ahead of fear.

And when Jemimah Rodrigues dropped anchor in a record-breaking semifinal run chase, victory in the final almost seemed inevitable.

“We came to ground the previous day and visualized us winning the final and fireworks going off,” said Rodrigues to the broadcasters after Sunday night’s final. Such was the belief that the performances in the final flowed like a raging river, determined to break every barrier in its path.

Despite South Africa’s precision bowling and smart ploy to take pace off the ball in the final, every Indian batter that faced over a dozen balls made a valuable contribution with the bat.

When the time came to defend 298, seven bowlers put their hands up to do their bit. In the field, they hurled themselves across the turf and put bodies on the line. “We were willing to die on the field if required, but we were going to win,” said a jubilant Rodrigues.

And that desire to win at any cost proved to be decisive factor on the night.

A team on the prowl

No team had reached the finals thrice without having tasted victory and India, having been on the wrong end of the bargain on numerous occasions, knew defeat all too well.

Deepti Sharma, for instance, has had her fair share of World Cup despair in the past.

In 2022, she had let South Africa off the hook after having du Preez caught off a no-ball with India needing to defend three runs from two balls in must-win game. In 2017, she was dismissed late in a run chase at Lords, a defeat that left an indelible scar.

And yet, despite enduring those moments of horror over, she rose like a phoenix, whilst resurrecting India on more than one occasion with performances worthy of the ‘player of the tournament’ trophy she walked away with.

When Rawal was ruled out with an injury, the team was reportedly in tears. Enter Shafali Verma and a remarkable ‘player of the match’ performance in the final ensued.

When wickets tumbled in the semifinal against Australia, Richa Ghosh and Sharma threw caution to the wind. When the breaks needed to be enforced in the final, Shree Charani bamboozled South Africa with turn and deception. When rear guard action and brisk fielding was needed, Amanjot Kaur sizzled with quick feet.

If in 2005 and 2017, the Indian squad depended heavily on Mithali Raj, Anjum Chopra, Jhulan Goswami, Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, the 2025 campaign witnessed the entire team sharing the burden of responsibility.

“The team have been magnificent. In the end, they just had too many players in form compared to South Africa. There were a lot of players who were in pretty good nick,” said Nasser Hussian to Sky Sports Cricket.

In getting over the finish line, India could well have cracked the code and unlocked the door to sustained success.

And when Harmanpreet Kaur says that the “next plan is to make this a habit,” and that “this is not the end, just the beginning,” it is a telling statement if not a war cry that Indian women are now ready to dominate world cricket.