Meg Lanning hails India's heroes from CWC25 triumph
The former Australia captain praised India’s World Cup-winning trio of Deepti Sharma, Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues.
India’s ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 win will be remembered for defining performances from their key players.
And former Australia skipper Meg Lanning, one of the game’s most respected voices, was all praise for India’s gamechangers.
Having seen India rise closely over the years, Lanning spoke in deep admiration of the contributions made by Deepti Sharma, Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues during an interview with Nikhil Uttamchandani on the latest episode of The ICC Review.
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Discussing Deepti, who was India’s clutch player throughout the campaign and also finished with the Player of the Tournament award, Lanning lauded the all-rounder’s ability to thrive at different points in a game.
“She (Deepti Sharma) is able to really impact games now with both bat and ball. And I think the other really good thing for the Indian team is that it can be at different points in the innings. There's no really set way that she can be successful. It can be across the whole game,” Lanning said.
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In the final against South Africa, Deepti struck a match-defining fifty before striking at regular intervals in the second innings, finishing with a five-wicket haul that included the crucial scalp of Laura Wolvaardt.
“To have someone like that in your side who can perform under pressure and at any point in the game, you know, she's shown that she can do that pretty consistently. So, no doubt, (she) has become a very important player for India.”
Lanning also had an encouraging assessment of Shafali, who was a last minute entry into the tournament following an injury to regular opener Pratika Rawal.
Shafali went on to perform with both bat and ball in the final, smashing a quickfire 87 before chipping in with two crucial wickets to derail the Proteas’ chase.
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Lanning lauded Shafali for her no-fuss approach despite the big occasion.
“I wasn't surprised by the way she (Shafali) played at all. I think she's been very successful over a few years now playing an aggressive style of cricket and looking to hit the ball really hard straight down the ground,” Lanning said.
“I watched a bit of her innings in the final and I could see very early on that she was trying to target the side screen down the ground and look to play with that vertical bat and when she does that it's pretty hard to stop.”
Rodrigues, another key figure in India’s campaign, finished as the team’s third-highest run-getter with 292 runs from eight innings.
Her contribution included a sparkling 127 not out in the semi-final against Australia, which helped India pull off a record chase against the No.1-ranked women’s ODI Team.
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Lanning lauded Rodrigues’ ability to stay calm and composed in the high-pressure game.
"I wanted Australia to win that game, to see Jemi perform like she did was really impressive, under a lot of pressure, for a number of different reasons," Lanning said.
“But to be able to, on that stage, hold your nerve and guide the team home, not just get to the 100 and then leave it to other players. She took that responsibility and made sure she was there at the end."
