India captain Harmanpreet Kaur addressed the team's doubters following their victory over South Africa in the final of the 2025 Women's World Cup. It is safe to say that the Women in Blue didn't have a smooth route to the final as after winning their opening two games of the league stage, they lost three matches on a trot. Their campaign seemed to have derailed with these losses, but they ended up making a fine comeback and defeated Australia in the semis before going on to triumph over South Africa in the final.
Sheer criticism on Harmanpreet & Co.
After England had handed India their third straight defeat of the tournament, the team had been brutally criticised. Skipper Harmanpreet had faced the brunt of it all and there were even calls to remove her from captaincy midway through the tournament. However, she proved all her doubters wrong by leading the Indian team to their first ever World Cup triumph. Following their victory in the final, Harmanpreet gave her views on the intense criticism that she and the team faced.
“Well, I think that’s also a part of life. It’s not necessary that everything should be good. Criticism is also one of the main things in life because it brings balance. Otherwise, if everything goes well, you’ll be overconfident. I don’t blame those who criticise, because we know when we aren’t doing something right. I don’t have much to say, but I like to keep both things balanced,” Harmanpreet said in the post-match presentation.
Harmanpreet further said that she keeps a check on her emotions both in victory and defeat and doesn't let the on-field results affect her too much.
“When good things happen, I don’t go too high; when bad things happen, I don’t dig deep. For me, the most important thing is to keep things balanced, and I try to send the same message to my teammates. When everything is going well — it’s okay, well done, but now we have to maintain it. And even when things aren’t going well, we try to keep everyone together so that we can lift that person up,” she added.
India's fabulous display in the final
Meanwhile, India put in a fantastic all-round performance in the final against South Africa to script a 52-run victory. They first handed the Proteas a formidable target of 299 and then bundled them out for 246 thanks to a commendable bowling display. They won the match by 52 runs to lift their first-ever ODI World Cup title in history and became just the fourth team to win the tournament since its inception back in 1973.