India is celebrating after winning a first women’s World Cup title, drawing comparisons to the men’s memorable 1983 triumph.By News AgenciesPublished On 3 Nov 20253 Nov 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2SharePrime Minister Narendra Modi led the tributes to India’s women cricketers following their “historic” triumph in the World Cup final on Sunday, while team captain Harmanpreet Kaur hoped it would be a watershed moment for the women’s game in the country.After suffering heartbreak in the final of the 2005 and 2017 editions of the 50-overs showpiece, India beat South Africa by 52 runs to secure their first title in front of 40,000 delirious home fans at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThree defeats in a row earlier in the tournament had nearly derailed India’s campaign before they bounced back to storm into the semifinals, where they pulled off a record chase to eliminate seven-time champions Australia. India’s Captain Harmanpreet Kaur and teammates celebrate with the trophy after winning the ICC Women’s World Cup Cricket final against South Africa at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, India on November 2, 2025 [Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters]‘Dream big and chase those dreams’“The team showed exceptional teamwork and tenacity throughout the tournament. Congratulations to our players,” Prime Minister Modi said on social media. “This historic win will motivate future champions to take up sports.”The Indian cricket board announced the team would receive a reward of 510 million Indian rupees ($5.8m) for their title triumph, a victory which the Indian Express newspaper termed “Herstoric” on its front page.Harmanpreet said it could be a turning point for the women’s game in the cricket-mad country. Advertisement “We have been talking about this for many years – we’ve been playing good cricket, but we had to win one big tournament,” the batter said.“Without that, we couldn’t talk about change. At the end of the day, fans and the audience want to see their favourite team win.“It’s not that we weren’t playing good cricket, but we were waiting badly for this moment, an …
