Legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar believes that the side's victory in the World Cup final can go on to be a "turning point" for women's cricket in the country. The Women in Blue went on to defeat South Africa comprehensively by 52 runs in the final to break a 52-year drought and win the coveted World Cup title for the first time in their history.
Gavaskar's cheeky message to Harmanpreet
Following the historic triumph, Gavaskar remarked that it was a proud moment for him to witness India winning the World Cup. He further went on to ask Harmanpreet Kaur to keep the match-ball with her just like how he did when the Men in Blue defeated West Indies in the World Cup final back in 1983.
“I can proudly say I was there the day the Indian women won the World Cup. This win will be a turning point for women’s cricket in India,' Gavaskar said in a video on X.
“I jumped with joy when Harmanpreet took that catch to win it. I hope she keeps that ball, just like I’ve kept mine from 1983, the one that hit Michael Holding’s leg guards before Dickie Bird raised his finger to give India the win," he added.
Gavaskar was also impressed with the way Harmanpreet celebrated the World Cup victory. He praised the India skipper for doing her own thing rather than copying any other sports personality.
“Many, many congratulations to Harmanpreet and her gang, because it really was a gang-like effort. The way they fought back and lifted that trophy was absolutely terrific. And also to Harmanpreet, special congratulations for the way she danced. No need to copy any footballers, you do your own thing," Gavaskar stated.
India's landmark triumph
Meanwhile, India have now become just the fourth team after England, Australia and New Zealand to win the World Cup;. This was their third appearance in the final as they had made it to the stage in 2005 and 2017, but had lost on both occasions. It proved to be third time lucky for the Women in Blue as not only did they win the title, but also won it in front of their fans in Navi Mumbai.