Mumbai: In a triumphant night for Indian cricket, the national women’s team clinched their first-ever ICC Women’s World Cup title, defeating South Africa by 52 runs in a dramatic final at a packed DY Patil Stadium. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur lifted the trophy amid tears of joy and roars from the home crowd, as decades of near-misses were finally replaced by a golden chapter in Indian sporting history. The victory marked India’s maiden World Cup crown, coming 50 years after the women’s team first appeared on the world stage and exorcising the ghosts of finals lost in 2005 and 2017.
India posted a formidable 298/7 after electing to bat, powered by opener Shafali Verma’s whirlwind 87 runs off 78 balls a career-best knock from the 21-year-old batting prodigy. Verma, a late addition to the squad due to an injury replacement, seized her chance with a sparkling innings that included a 104-run opening stand with Smriti Mandhana (45). All-rounder Deepti Sharma then added a crucial run-a-ball 58*, anchoring the middle-order and propelling India to what would be the second-highest total ever in a Women’s World Cup final. In reply, South Africa were bowled out for 246 in 45.3 overs, as India’s bowlers led by Sharma’s 5 wickets for 39 runs dismantled the chase despite a valiant 101 by South African captain Laura Wolvaardt. Verma chipped in with the ball as well, taking 2/36 including the crucial wickets of Sune Luus and Marizanne Kapp that turned the match on its head. Fittingly, Deepti’s yorker crashed into Annerie Dercksen’s stumps to seal the win, completing a remarkable all-round display and earning her the Player of the Tournament honors (22 wickets and 215 runs in the event). As Kaur’s team erupted in celebration, the significance was clear India had become World Champions at last, the Women in Blue joining Australia, England and New Zealand as only the fourth team ever to lift this trophy.
“It’s a watershed moment for Indian cricket,”
head coach Amol Muzumdar said, moments after the historic win. For Muzumdar, 50, the triumph was the culmination of a personal and professional journey defined by perseverance. A stalwart of Mumbai domestic cricket, he amassed over 11,000 first-class runs yet never donned the India jersey. When the Board of Control for Cricket in India appointed him as women’s head coach in late 2023, eyebrows were raised at hiring someone with no international playing experience. Muzumdar responded by instilling a quiet confidence in a team badly in need of direction.
We finish well. That’s who we are,”
became his simple mantra after India’s rocky start to the World Cup. Indeed, the campaign had begun poorly India suffered three consecutive defeats in the group stage, prompting widespread doubts about their semifinal chances. Yet Muzumdar remained unflappable. He backed his players, emphasized basics and belief, and kept reminding them that they
had not lost, just weren’t able to cross the line…very close to beating South Africa, Australia, and England”
in those games. Under his calm stewardship, the squad regrouped and roared back, winning three must-win matches in a row (including a record chase against Australia in the semifinal) to reach the final. In the title clash, Muzumdar’s strategic calls from promoting aggression at the top to a gutsy gamble of tossing the ball to part-timer Verma for a crucial over paid off brilliantly. “He always speaks from the heart,” captain Harmanpreet Kaur said of Muzumdar during the campaign. “Even when he is strict, it comes from a good place”. That mutual trust was on full display on Sunday night.
Indian players celebrate with the ICC Women’s World Cup trophy after defeating South Africa in the final in Navi Mumbai, clinching India’s first Women’s World Cup title.
Joins Elite Company of ICC Trophy-Winning Coaches
By guiding India to an ICC trophy, Amol Muzumdar joins an elite group of head coaches in Indian cricket history. Previous Indian coaches who led national teams to ICC titles include:
- 1983 – P.R. Man Singh (Men’s ODI World Cup)
- 2002 – John Wright (Champions Trophy)
- 2007 – Lalchand Rajput (T20 World Cup)
- 2011 – Gary Kirsten (Men’s ODI World Cup)
- 2013 – Duncan Fletcher (Champions Trophy)
- 2024 – Rahul Dravid (T20 World Cup)
- 2025 – Gautam Gambhir (Champions Trophy)
Muzumdar is now the first to achieve the feat with India’s women’s team, etching his name alongside these masterminds of India’s past ICC triumphs. Notably, like Muzumdar, both Man Singh and Rajput were home-grown coaches without extensive international careers, yet their leadership proved pivotal in India’s 1983 and 2007 wins respectively. Muzumdar’s success thus reinforces that astute cricketing acumen and man-management can trump pedigree a narrative not unlike 1983, when Kapil Dev’s underdogs shocked the world.
“Champions of the World” Emotions Overflow as Legends React
As the confetti rained and the Indian team took a victory lap, emotions overflowed both on the field and across the nation. Former captain Mithali Raj, who for decades carried the dream of a world title, was overcome with pride.
Champions of the World! I’ve had this dream for over two decades… Tonight, that dream finally came true,”
Mithali wrote in a heartfelt tribute on social media. Raj, 42, led India to two World Cup finals (2005, 2017) without reward; this triumph, she said,
fulfilled the aspirations of generations of players and fans alike”.
In a touching moment during the post-match celebrations, Harmanpreet Kaur’s team brought Mithali and fellow legend Jhulan Goswami onto the podium to jointly lift the trophy both pioneers breaking down in tears of joy as the baton passed to a new generation.
This victory is for you,”
Kaur and her deputy Smriti Mandhana told the two trailblazers in a huddle, according to team members, encapsulating the sense of gratitude and continuity linking past and present.
There were other powerful images of respect. Moments after the final wicket, Harmanpreet Kaur ran to the sidelines and bowed to her “Guruji” touching Coach Muzumdar’s feet in a spontaneous show of reverence. The coach, modest in victory, later confessed the feeling was “unbelievably unbelievable” and that the last few moments of the match were a blur of elation. The bond between captain and coach, forged in the crucible of criticism and pressure, was evident to all.
A coach and captain need to be on one page…we are always on the same page,”
Muzumdar said of his partnership with Kaur and the unity in the squad.
From current superstars to Indian cricket icons, accolades poured in for the World Champions.
This is a defining moment in the journey of Indian women’s cricket,”
tweeted the great Sachin Tendulkar, recalling how India’s 1983 win inspired a generation, and lauding the women for inspiring
countless young girls across the country to pick up a bat and ball… and believe that they too can lift that trophy one day”.
Tendulkar’s longtime teammate, Virat Kohli echoed the sentiment, calling the triumph “historic” and praising the team’s hard work and the boost it will give to women’s sports, saying
this will inspire generations of girls to take up the sport in our country”.
Even India’s Prime Minister joined in, hailing the victory as
historic… one that will inspire future champs”
and praising the team’s skill and grit on the world stage.
New Dawn for Women’s Cricket and Muzumdar’s Legacy
India’s triumph is more than just a trophy win; players and experts believe it could be a turning point for women’s cricket back home. The sight of a deafening full house in Navi Mumbai and millions more celebrating across the country signifies how far the women’s game has come.
We wanted to break this barrier… now we must make it a habit,”
captain Kaur said, already looking ahead to sustained success after tasting victory. The hope is that this success will catalyze greater investment, grassroots participation and societal support for girls in cricket.
The effect of this win will be felt in every home,”
one editorial noted,
encouraging more parents to let their daughters chase the cricketing dream, turning today’s dreamers into tomorrow’s believers.”
Amol Muzumdar, the man at the helm of this campaign, sees a parallel with India’s seminal 1983 World Cup win. He recalled meeting a young girl at the stadium
whose inspiration is Harman. She follows Harman wherever she goes… Now some of them will be inspired, you never know. Like 1983 it inspired a lot of cricketers in that generation,”
Muzumdar observed, reflecting on how a single victory can ignite ambition nationwide. Under Muzumdar’s guidance, the team’s motto became “play with belief” and fittingly, belief has delivered where brute force and big names fell short in the past.
For Muzumdar himself a domestic run machine who never played for India this World Cup triumph is a personal redemption and a resounding answer to skeptics. He has proven that one need not be an international star to foster world-beating success, drawing comparisons to the fictional Ted Lasso for his empathetic, player-first coaching style.
They’ve done every Indian proud,”
Muzumdar said of his players, calling the title a
watershed moment”
that belongs to the entire nation. As the confetti settles on Navi Mumbai, Amol Muzumdar’s legacy is now firmly etched in history. He will be remembered as the architect of a historic victory that not only crowned new world champions but also opened a new era for Indian women’s cricket one defined by confidence, unity, and the audacity to dream big. In guiding India’s women to the summit of world cricket, the coach who never played for the country has ensured that his story of quiet leadership and unshakeable belief will inspire generations to come.
Also Read | From Train Floors to World Champions: Indian Women’s Cricket’s Extraordinary Journey
