“We wanted to break this barrier” - Harmanpreet Kaur wants the Indian team to make it a habit of winning World Cup titles

Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur has opened up on the Indian women’s team title win over the South African women’s team in the grand finale of the ICC ODI Women’s World Cup 2025 in Navi Mumbai on Sunday, November 2.

Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Kaur thanked the BCCI, selectors, and crowd for believing in the team in their ups and downs. She also opened up on the actual reason behind bringing in Shafali Verma to bowl, which opened things up in the second innings.

“I'm so grateful for this crowd. They've been so amazing. Thank you, thank you, guys, for being there for us, for in all our ups and downs. And credit goes to our entire cricket team, BCCI, selectors, everyone back home, thank you, thank you so much,” Harmanpreet Kaur said in the post-match presentation.

“I mean, when Laura and Sune was batting, they were looking really good. And I just saw Shefali standing there. And the way she was batting today, I knew today's her day. She was showing something special today. And I just thought I have to go with my gut feeling. If my heart is saying I could give at least one over to her, I'm going to give her. And then I just asked her, can you bowl one over? And she was so ready. And she always wanted to bowl for the team. And I think that was a turning point for us. When she came to the team, that time we spoke to her, we might need to bowl two or three overs. Then she was like, no, if you give me the ball, I'm going to bowl 10 overs for the team. And that showed how confident she was to bowl for the team. And I think credit goes to her, she was so positive. She was there for the team,” she added. 

“Actually today's pitch was totally different because of the rain and the overhead condition. We knew this total is enough for the final game because in the final game, you always have a little extra pressure on you. But still, we should give credit to the South Africa team. They batted beautifully. The last moment, they panicked a little bit. And that's where, you know, we catch the game. And I think we, as a group, we have been talking about, you know, once they started doing a little bit, you know, something here and there, we have to catch that. And I think that right time, Deepti came and took those crucial wickets,” she observed. 

“(Is this the start of something bigger?) This is the start. We wanted to break this barrier. And now, our next plan is make this a habit. Because, you know, we are waiting for this moment. Now, this moment has come. Now, let's just make this happen, you know. Now, next year there's also World Cup and then Champions Trophy is there. So, so many big occasions are coming. We just want to, you know, keep improving day by day. This is not the end. This is just a beginning. And we just want to keep giving our best,” she concluded. 

Moving into the details of the game, India Women batted first after losing the toss and posted a daunting total of 298/7 in 50 overs. In the chase, South African women could score only 246 runs in 45.3 overs, losing the game by 52 runs. 

Opener Shafali Verma was adjudged the player of the match for her 87-run knock and two important wickets with the ball, while the veteran all-rounder Deepti Sharma was awarded the player of the tournament for 22 wickets and 215 runs.

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