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India captain Harmanpreet Kaur opened up on how the side's defeat to England in the league stage played a massive role in uniting them and fueled their victory over South Africa in the final of the 2025 Women's World Cup. After winning their first two matches of the tournament, the Women in Blue's World Cup campaign seemed to have derailed after three consecutive defeats to the likes of South Africa, Australia and England.
Following the loss to England, head coach Amol Muzumdar had confronted the team and had given them a blunt reality check. There were even calls to remove the captain midway through the tournament.
“Not a single player said ‘what will happen now’ when things were not going well, especially after the heartbreaking loss against England. That night changed a lot of things for us, we thought we will have to come out with a stronger mindset and everyone came together even more," Harmanpreet said at the post-match press-conference.
“It is a part of our life, criticism. because it brings some balance. I don’t blame those who criticise us and I don’t have much to say. For me it is important to keep things balanced within the team," she added.
India overcame the three defeats
A victory over New Zealand in their next match was enough to send the hosts to the semi-finals, but it was the win over defending champions Australia that really shifted the momentum towards them. Despite them not being the favourites to win, the Women in Blue chased down a mammoth target of 339 to qualify for the final and a brilliant all-round performance saw them overcome the Proteas to lift the coveted World Cup title at the D.Y. Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai.
On the other hand, Harmanpreet further highlighted how both her and her deputy Smriti Mandhana have faced multiple heartbreaks in international tournaments and were in no mood of experiencing yet another one.
“I have played a lot of World Cups with her (Mandhana). We would lose at home and we were not able to break it (jinx). When we got to know the venue was DY Patil, we started celebrating and we decided we will not leave it. We spoke that we are at home and our World Cup begins now," Harmanpreet stated.
India become the 4th team to win WC title
Meanwhile, India became just the fourth team in history to win the Women's World Cup with their 52-run victory over South Africa in the final. Previously, they had reached the final in both the 2005 and 2017 edition, but had lost on both the occasions. However, Harmanpreet & Co. managed to put painful history behind them and script a victory that will live in the hearts of Indian fans for years to come.
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