Women In Blue Show Their Class
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
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By Linus Garg
First publised on 2025-11-04 06:27:50
About the Author
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
View all posts by this Author
Just about at the stroke of midnight, the Women in Blue kept their tryst with destiny and won the World Cup for a frenzied nation that was cheering them throughout the tournament. When captain Harmanpreet Kaur ran backwards to catch the last South African batter, the tears flowed as easily as the cheers. Wild celebrations from the players and the spectators on the ground, as well as in living rooms and on streets across India, showed how happy the entire nation was to see its girls prove their mettle on the world stage.
The team had showed class in beating Australia in the semifinals. It multiplied that with tenacity in beating South Africa in the finals. After getting off to a flying start, the Women in Blue were pegged back by some superb bowling and fielding from the Proteas. In the end, they managed to score 298, the second highest total in a World Cup final. Some thought that given the depth of batting in the South African lineup and the flat pitch, it would be 30/40 runs short. But the Indians were not deterred. They stuck to their task and bowlers Shefali Verma (2/36) and Deepti Sharma 5/39), along with a brilliant Amanjyot Kaur on the field (instrumental in breaking the opening partnership with a direct hit and in dismissing the brilliant Laura Wolvaartd with a juggling catch) ensured that India lifted the Cup with a 52-run win.
Although it was a team effort all through, there were stand-out individual performances too. When Harmanpreet and semifinal star Jemimah Rodrigues failed, seasoned pro Deepti Sharma raised her hand to score a fifty and took a fiver to show her class. Comeback girl Shefali Verma scored 87 upfront and then dismissed two key South African batters to prove the selectors right that despite not being in the original 15, she was the best replacement for the injured Pratika Rawal. While Amanjyot Kaur showed her fielding mettle, Richa Ghosh showed why she is considered one of the best finishers in the game with her cameo.
This victory is likely to change the way women's cricket is seen in India and will inspire thousands of girls to take up the sport. Already, there are reports that coaching centres are being flooded with calls from parents willing to enrol their girls for training. It is a watershed moment for women's cricket in India and is likely to throw up players from all over the country, strengthening the bench and making the selectors' task tough in years to come.
