NEW DELHI: India’s Women’s World Cup triumph has marked a defining moment in the nation’s cricketing journey. What Harmanpreet Kaur and her team achieved in Navi Mumbai is being hailed as a breakthrough that could transform the landscape of women’s cricket in India.

Meanwhile, legend Sunil Gavaskar believes this victory has sent a powerful message to the cricketing world. “This win will make other teams realize that their era of dominance has been shaken,” he wrote in Sportstar.

Richa Ghosh opens up on India’s historic World Cup triumph and her finisher’s role

‘Not the same as 1983,’ Gavaskar

Gavaskar, however, feels the comparison with the men’s World Cup victory in 1983 is not quite fair. “Some have tried to draw parallels with the 1983 win,” he noted. “But back then, the men’s team had never gone beyond the group stages, while the women had already reached two finals before this magnificent triumph.”

He added that just like Kapil Dev’s side inspired a new generation, the women’s success could ignite similar enthusiasm. “The 1983 win gave Indian cricket a global voice. This victory will have a similar effect on women’s cricket,” Gavaskar said. “It will encourage parents to let their daughters dream of playing for India.”

Harmanpreet Kaur’s wax statue to be unveiled at Jaipur Wax Museum on Women’s Day 2026

A night of joy and emotion

The final itself was a spectacle. India’s batting fired on all cylinders as Shafali Verma’s blistering 87 and Deepti Sharma’s fluent 58 guided the team to 298 for 7. South Africa’s skipper Laura Wolvaardt fought valiantly with a 101 off 98 balls, but India’s spinners sealed the contest with clinical precision.

When Deepti claimed the final wicket, the celebrations began in earnest. The players took a victory lap amid thunderous applause, joined by legends Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raj, who lifted the trophy with tears in their eyes.