New Delhi: For years, Indian women’s cricket had lived in the shadow of almosts – the finals that slipped away, the potential that was never realised, torchbearers that returned with empty-handed farewells.
Not this time. In the backdrop of a home World Cup, in front of a country that gradually but finally believed, India finished the story on their own terms. They are world champions for the first time.
Their run in the 2017 World Cup had flicked a switch despite the loss in the final. You can imagine the effect a victory would have. Wins like this don’t just lift stories, they shift tides. They will show up from playgrounds to corporate think-tanks, from families that once said “no” to coaches that say, “why not?”
By no means was India’s campaign a smooth march. It was one laced with errors, grind, patchwork but most importantly, a resilience stitched together by players who refused to let history repeat itself.
The run through the tournament had its bends. There were nervy losses against three SENA countries, teams that exposed India’s gaps. But after being tested, they adapted. Since being cornered into must-win territory against New Zealand, India remembered what they headed out to do. They adapted, they absorbed pressure and they played like a team that finally believed it belonged on that pedestal.
Then came the semifinal. a herculean effort against Australia, the holders and seven-time champions. India didn’t just beat them, they outfought them.and slowly, symbolically undid years of dominance.
If one story mirrors India’s journey, ironically, it’s Shafali Verma’s. Once the face of India’s future, she found herself left out of the present, axed from the squad, not even among the reserve of the World Cup squad.
Coach Amol Muzumdar had said she remained in the periphery, part of the core group after the England series, but when the squad was announced, the cut was deep. Players often speak out or express disappointment in some form.
But after her initial ouster less than a year ago, she went back to the domestic circuit and batted like someone chasing a promise rather than revenge.
When she was called in as an injury-replacement for Pratika Rawal before the semi-final, she said, “God sent me to do something good before the World Cup.” On the biggest night of all, she delivered on her own promise with a performance to remember, delivering a redemption arc for the books.
Her story, like India’s, is about timing and faith in the long arc of effort.
What this team has earned goes far beyond a trophy or headlines. They’ve earned loyalty to each other and a common cause, a common dream that had the potential to change their lives and a generation that now knows it’s possible.
The champions will take home ₹37.3 crore, a staggering reward for victory but also an investment in possibility. For the girls watching from their living rooms, this win changes the conversation. Even the billboards and advertisements will change with new faces, fresh names.
As fireworks went off in cities all over the country, it really starts to sink in – a moment you never thought you’d see for Indian women. For far too long, they had been in the shadows. Today, they were the reason the skies lit up.
Like captain Harmanpreet Kaur said, it’s only the beginning of a habit they plan to make.
The ripple begins now. It will travel through time, through small towns and narrow lanes, where little girls can pick a bat or ball with greater confidence and believe that their journeys too, can end in fireworks.