Narendra Modi pays tribute to women’s cricket team after World Cup victory | Cricket News

India celebrates its first Women’s World Cup victory, comparable to the men’s memorable triumph in 1983.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to India’s women cricketers after their “historic” World Cup final triumph on Sunday, while team captain Harmanpreet Kaur hoped it would be a watershed moment for women’s football in the country.

After suffering a heartbreak in the final of the 2005 and 2017 editions of the 50-overs competition, India beat South Africa by 52 runs to win their maiden title in front of 40,000 screaming home fans at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

Three consecutive defeats earlier in the tournament had almost derailed India’s campaign before India bounced back to advance to the semi-finals, where they made a record-breaking run to knock out seven-time champions Australia.

“Dream big and chase those dreams”

“The team showed exceptional teamwork and tenacity throughout the tournament. Congratulations to our players,” PM Modi said on social media. “This historic victory will motivate future champions to take up the sport. »

The Indian Cricket Board announced that the team would receive a reward of 510 million Indian rupees ($5.8 million) for its title triumph, a victory that the Indian Express newspaper called “Herstoric” on its front page.

Harmanpreet said this could be a turning point for women’s football in the cricket-mad country.

“We’ve been talking about it for many years – we play good cricket, but we needed to win a big tournament,” the batter said.

“Without that, we wouldn’t be able to talk about change. At the end of the day, fans and audiences want to see their favorite team win.

“It’s not that we weren’t playing good cricket, but we were looking forward to this moment, and today we have the chance to experience it.”

The Indian men’s team’s fairy tale triumph at the 1983 World Cup is seen as the catalyst for the country’s rise to a gaming powerhouse, both on and off the field, and batting great Sachin Tendulkar said Sunday’s victory was “a defining moment in the journey of Indian women’s cricket”.

“1983 inspired an entire generation to dream big and chase those dreams,” he wrote on social media.

“Today our women’s cricket team did something truly special. They inspired countless young girls across the country to pick up a bat and ball, take to the field and believe that they too can lift this trophy one day…”

Mithali Raj, who led India to the 2017 women’s final, said Harmanpreet’s team’s victory made her dreams come true.

“It has been my dream for over two decades to see Indian women win the World Cup trophy,” she wrote on X.

“Tonight, that dream finally came true. From the heartbreak of 2005 to the struggle of 2017, every tear, every sacrifice, every young girl who picked up a bat believing we belonged here, it all led to this moment.”

A spectacular victory for the Indian team in the final of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025. Their performance in the final was marked by great skill and confidence. The team demonstrated exceptional teamwork and tenacity throughout the tournament. Congratulations to our players. This…

-Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 2, 2025