India opener Smriti Mandhana mentioned she was nonetheless struggling to course of the magnitude of her group’s achievement, calling it “unreal” after India claimed their maiden Girls’s World Cup title with a 52-run win over South Africa in Navi Mumbai on Sunday.
“I do not know learn how to react to that, it’s nonetheless sinking in,” Mandhana mentioned moments after the victory.
“I have never been emotional on the cricket discipline. However yeah, only a very unreal second, dwelling World Cup and simply to learn that we’re Champions, I simply cannot, I am nonetheless not in a position to course of it.”
India, who had fallen brief in earlier editions, finally ended their wait for a global title.
Mandhana, who was a part of the facet that misplaced the 2020 T20 World Cup ultimate, mentioned the group channelled these heartbreaks into motivation.
“Each World Cup we go in and there have been so many heartbreaks for all of us,” she mentioned.
“However we at all times consider that we’ve got a much bigger duty with ladies’s cricket and genuinely simply to see the help we have got over the past one and a half month and to see folks are available, help us.”
“It simply… I do not know the way do I clarify the final 40 days however yeah, I imply to finish it with a World Cup win at the moment, I’ll take that, 45 days of not sleeping each evening.”
Reflecting on the group’s journey for the reason that 2020 disappointment, Mandhana mentioned renewed deal with health, expertise and unity performed a vital position in India’s turnaround.
“The final T20 World Cup for positive was a troublesome one for all of us to take. We had a transparent deal with making an attempt to work on our health, making an attempt to be higher at each side,” she mentioned.
“The tremendous power of this group is nobody will discuss it but it surely’s the way in which everybody simply caught in and simply performed for one another. In a World Cup like this, you simply want everybody’s help. Everybody was there for one another, good days, dangerous days. We loved one another’s success.
“I simply cannot let you know the way in which the group surroundings is, and I believe that is actually magic.”
Watershed second for Indian cricket: Muzumdar
India ladies’s head coach Amol Muzumdar described his group’s historic World Cup triumph as a “watershed second” for Indian cricket, lauding his gamers for his or her relentless work ethic and composure beneath stress.
“So happy with the ladies. I do not know It is not but sink in but it surely’s an unbelievable achievement by all the ladies and so they deserve each credit score. They deserve every part that that can observe as a result of they’ve labored terribly onerous.”
“It is a watershed second for Indian cricket.”
The evening belonged to Shafali Verma, who produced a sensational all-round show — smashing a quickfire 87 after which returning with two wickets for 36 runs in seven overs.
Praising the 21-year-old opener, Muzumdar mentioned: “One phrase — magical. Completely magical. She turns up within the semi-final, no stress within the ultimate in entrance of a packed dwelling crowd, performs a blinder of an innings after which picks up a number of wickets with the ball.”
India had endured a tricky center part within the event, dropping three video games on the trot to South Africa, Australia and England. However the coach mentioned the group by no means noticed these outcomes as setbacks.
“We did not take a look at these losses as losses. We simply thought that we simply could not recover from the road. That is about it. We dominated loads majority of these matches so we did not take a look at this as losses,” he mentioned.
“We simply thought that there are some hiccups within the marketing campaign. We have been nonetheless alive within the event and right here we’re on 2nd November 2025 World Champions.”
The coach additionally credited India’s vastly improved fielding and health ranges for taking part in a decisive position within the title win.
“Completely, I imply that was one factor that we spoke loads within the dressing room. Within the final two years that your feeling and health was one thing that we actually spoke about and we centered on it.
“And right here we’re, I imply, they only turned it up on this present day within the World Cup ultimate. I could not have requested for extra.”
Revealed – November 03, 2025 02:01 am IST
