Harmanpreet Kaur has cemented herself in Indian cricket folklore by becoming the country’s first-ever Women’s World Cup winning captain.
Following the victory in the Women’s World Cup 2025 final, Harmanpreet followed the footsteps of another iconic Indian cricketer. In 1983, after India won the Men’s World Cup for the first time, legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar kept the match ball with himself and got it signed by his teammates. Now, it appears that Harmanpreet has done something similar by keeping the match ball of the Women’s World Cup final with herself.
Harmanpreet was asked about her gesture by Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, during his meeting with the victorious Indian team. She confirmed that her action wasn’t planned beforehand.
“I will have it with me. It was God’s plan. I got that ball. After so many years of hard work, after so many years of waiting, now I have it. I still have it in my bag,” Harmanpreet said.
Meanwhile, Gavaskar has urged Harmanpreet to get it signed by her teammates, much like he did.
“Did you see what Harmanpreet did when she took that catch? She put the ball in her pocket, just like somebody did in 1983. I hope she takes autographs of all her teammates, maybe even the South Africans, because that will be a memento she’ll cherish for life,” Gavaskar had said, in an interaction with India Today.
Meanwhile, Harmanpreet Kaur also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the words of wisdom he had shared with them after their World Cup 2017 final loss to England, saying that his motivation had helped them work even harder to finally lift their maiden trophy.
The Prime Minister met and interacted with the country’s Women’s World Cup-winning contingent and hosted them at his residence on Wednesday evening.
“Sir, I still remember when we met you back in 2017. At that time, we hadn’t brought the trophy home, but today it’s a great honour for us to present to you the trophy we’ve been working hard for all these years. You’ve doubled our happiness today, and it truly means a lot to us. Our aim now is that in the future, we continue to meet you again and again and keep taking pictures with you and the team,” Harmanpreet told the Prime Minister.