From heartbreak to history: Harmanpreet reflects on CWC25 glory

Over her illustrious career, Harmanpreet Kaur has appeared in four other editions of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup before the recently-concluded one, carrying experiences of near-misses and heartbreaks - including the one India suffered at the hands of England in the 2017 final.

The 2025 edition proved to be her redemption arc when she completed the catch of Nadine de Klerk to seal a 52-run win against South Africa. The 36-year-old experienced the moment she had envisioned for years in addition to helping a dream come to life for an entire nation.

Speaking with a mix of relief, pride and gratitude, India’s World Cup winning skipper opened up on the moments, people and emotions that shaped the team’s journey to glory.

On the special phone call from Sachin Tendulkar

The skipper revealed that just before the final, the legendary Sachin Tendulkar reached out to share a few words of wisdom, taking part as a guiding signpost for the Indian side.

And rightly so, there was no one better than Tendulkar, who himself has the experience of a World Cup final heartbreak and a redemption story to look back on, to give a pep talk ahead of a major final.

“The night before the match, Sachin (Tendulkar) sir called. He shared his experience and asked us to keep our balance. When the game is going fast, just slow it down a little,” Harmanpreet said on The ICC Review.

“Try and control it because when you go too fast, chances are you can stumble. That’s what we need to avoid. I was just thinking of all the advice I was getting from the seniors. To keep control, stay patient, the moment will come and you will be able to grasp it.”

Emotions after winning

The moment the final wicket fell, tears, smiles and an animated Harmanpreet running across the field blended into one. For the skipper and her teammates, the years of chasing a dream had finally taken shape into reality, and the feeling, as she described, was still sinking in.

“I still can’t believe it,” Harmanpreet continued.

“Whenever we are seeing each other, we’re just saying, ‘world champion’. It’s a very different feeling. We were waiting when we would get to feel this way.

“My mother and father were there. For me, it was a very special moment to lift the World Cup trophy with them. Since my childhood, they have heard me say that I want to wear India’s jersey, play for the country, lead the team and win the World Cup.”

First woman and third Indian captain to lift the trophy

The scale of a World Cup triumph as a skipper is humongous but to be a trailblazer is even better - something that Harmanpreet Kaur & Co. pulled off when they etched their name as the first Indian team to clinch the Women’s Cricket World Cup.

The triumph made Harmanpreet the first Indian woman and third Indian captain overall after Kapil Dev (1983) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (2011) to lift a senior World Cup trophy for India.

“To be honest, I’m not able to think about this right now. Maybe, I will realise after a few months what we have achieved. What we have given our country. I can’t process this right now,” said the 36-year-old on the unique feat.

“I spoke about the same with Amol (Muzumdar) sir, it feels like we have won some bilateral series and we’re going back home. The impact of it is something we’ll realise in a few months. Right now, it just feels like a dream.”

She had earlier captained India to the 2020 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final, making this victory the crowning moment of her 16-year international career thus far.

Big impact from Shafali, Smriti and Deepti

The Indian skipper acknowledged the special effort from three players who showed up with guts when things got rough for the World Cup winners.

Shafali Verma’s entry into the World Cup was a story to tell all by itself. She was not a part of the 15-member squad ahead of the tournament. She came in to open the innings alongside Smriti Mandhana and had to play her part right from the get-go, replacing the injured Pratika Rawal just ahead of the semi-final against Australia.

The team’s belief paid off and Shafali reigned supreme in the summit clash against the Proteas in an unexpected fashion.

She first blazed 87 off 78 with the bat to propel India to 298. And then came in clutch with the wickets of Sune Luus and Marizanne Kapp in the first seven balls of her spell to break a steady chase. Who saw it coming? The Indian skipper definitely did.

“As soon she came into the squad, everyone was talking about whether we should play her or not. We knew that she has played in (T20) World Cups before. She has won the U19 World Cup as well,” Harmanpreet noted.

“She was familiar with the pressure and the stage, and how important her role was. We were very clear that she was going to play in the final. She can come and bowl those few overs, if we needed.

“When the partnership (of Laura Wolvaardt and Sune Luus) started building, I had the thought that we should at least give her one over and see what happens. And instantly, she got us two back-to-back breakthroughs. And that shows how much she wanted to perform for the team, and she did.”

Speaking of another player who finished with the second-most runs at the World Cup, Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet praised the batter’s innate ability to get runs and the entire team for backing her at all times.

Mandhana was the source of firepower at the top for India, smashing 434 runs in nine games, with a stunning century against New Zealand to her name.

“Her contribution to the team will always be remembered. I remember, all of us, whenever she is batting, we are praying. Every day we are praying that she scores a century. Because when she gets the runs, everything else just falls into place.

“We have always prayed for the other to get the runs. Those are the kind of things that have helped us get across the line. It’s a team sport. Everyone’s contribution is really important.

“That’s what we have been talking about since Day 1. That everyone will need to bond together, only then can we cross the line.”

Player of the Tournament, the consistent Deepti Sharma was one of India’s quiet backbones through the World Cup.

The all-rounder finished with a tournament high 22 wickets, and chipped in with 215 runs, rescuing the innings from tricky positions against Sri Lanka, England and in the final against South Africa with fifty-plus scores.

Her calm under pressure and ability to adapt to match situations reflected the maturity she’s built over the years and Harmanpreet was all praise for it.

“We have been telling this to Deepti for years, that you have something special in you. You have to trust that. That you can always contribute with the bat and the ball. And obviously, she’s a great fielder as well.

“All she needed was a push. Because somewhere we all were feeling that she holds herself back. That she doesn’t believe as much in her ability for the team.

“I think we should give credit to our support staff, they have been pushing her whether it’s our trainer Harsha sir, Amol sir or our bowling coach (Aavishkar Salvi), they have all pushed her. And it’s because of their push that she has been able to perform so well.”

The special moment with the greats

The celebrations carried an added layer of emotion when India’s 2025 World Cup-winning squad shared the field with those who paved the way - Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami among many others.

Both stalwarts, present in the DY Patil Stadium on commentary duties, had been part of India’s near-misses in 2005 and 2017, leading and inspiring generations to dream of this very moment.

When Harmanpreet and the Indian team invited them onto the field to celebrate, it wasn’t just a gesture of respect but a symbolic passing of the torch - from those who began the journey to those who completed it.

“The last time back in 2022, when we returned after the World Cup, all of us were really sad. We knew that it was the last World Cup for Jhulan di and Mithali di. Smriti and I were sitting and talking, we were sad that we couldn’t deliver it for them,” she said.

“But we had decided that whenever we do it in the future, we will make sure that they would be in the stadium. We really want to capture that moment with them. Not only them, Diana (Edulji) ma’am was continuously messaging. Shubhangi (Kulkarni) ma’am, Sudha (Shah) ma’am, who was our coach when I made my debut.

“Everybody was there. To share this moment with them was something really special to us. And whenever we were dreaming and visualising, they were actually with us. We didn’t think of this moment without them.”