Harmanpreet Kaur-led India created history by winning their maiden ODI World Cup. India defeated South Africa by 52 runs in the summit clash despite Proteas skipper Laura Wolvaardt scoring a century.
India had qualified for the 2005 and 2017 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup final too, but they failed to cross the finishing line.
Harmanpreet and Smriti Mandhana both were a part of the Indian women’s team that had played the 2017 World Cup final, but they have now accomplished the summit of greatness.
Smriti Mandhana Reflects On India’s Journey In The Women’s World Cup
India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has had a year to remember. Mandhana will always look back at 2025 as a year where she scored 1000 runs in one calendar year and also as a year when she finally crossed the finishing line and won the ODI World Cup. Mandhana was nothing short of terrific in the Women’s ODI World Cup.
From the nine 2025 World Cup games that she played, Smriti Mandhana scored a total of 434 runs at an average of 54.25 and with a strike rate of 99.09. Mandhana also scored a hundred in the tournament. The BCCI recently posted a video of Smriti Mandhana giving insights into her journey and how she kept herself motivated.
“We had 2017 and then 2020, final heartbreaks then a lot of semi-final heartbreaks as well where we thought we could go over the line. It kind of left lots of marks in the heart. We had the motivation to be better and try and have the champions logo on our chest, but we are happy and proud of the team. You dream of winning the World Cup as a kid and I didn’t think that it is going to happen to me. Whenever we lost a game, we did see a lot of girls crying, but it only motivated me. Winning the World Cup felt unreal,” said Mandhana in a video shared by the BCCI.
India Women To Tour Australia Next
After their historic ODI World Cup win, India women will now start preparing for the T20 World Cup that is scheduled to be played next year. The Women in Blue will tour Australia next year in February 2026.