India's World Cup victory will be remembered as a historic turning point for women's cricket

"Cricket is a gentlemen's everyone's game."

The words printed on Harmanpreet Kaur's T-shirt said it all. Posing with the gleaming International Cricket Council (ICC) Women's World Cup trophy, India's captain captioned her Instagram post with heartfelt pride: "Some dreams are shared by a billion people. That's why cricket is everyone's game."

Indeed, this victory belongs not just to 15 women in blue, but to an entire nation that dared to dream with them.

Until a few months ago, women's matches struggled to find mention beyond the inside pages of newspapers.

But when India walked out to play South Africa in the World Cup final at Navi Mumbai, queues outside the stadium stretched endlessly.

Television channels ran countdown shows, social media overflowed with hashtags, and newsrooms across the country led with one headline: "India's lionesses in blue."

When Harmanpreet took the last-wicket catch and India sealed their maiden global title with a commanding 52-run win, the country erupted.

Firecrackers, tears, smiles, sweets; the celebrations felt like deja vu from 1983, when Kapil Dev's men changed Indian cricket forever.

Four decades later, Harmanpreet's team has done the same for women's cricket.

From rickshaws to red carpets

For those who have walked this path before, the triumph is personal.

Former India player and coach Sudha Shah, who guided the team to the 2005 final, recalls how unnoticed the women's team were back then.

India lost to Australia by 98 runs in the final played at Centurian, South Africa.

"At that time, nobody in India even knew the Women's World Cup was happening in South Africa," she said.

"My team did extremely well and players were in good form. They worked really hard for two years to prepare for that but unfortunately we lost the final.

"I landed in Mumbai after losing the final and quietly took an auto-rickshaw to go home. No-one even noticed."

That quiet journey home has now turned into a victory parade.

Shah watches with pride as the team is feted by the prime minister, honoured at Rashtrapati Bhavan (the president's residence in New Delhi), and cheered by millions.

"I can see a lot more girls coming to play cricket now," she said.

"They have better facilities, better pay, better respect — things will only get better. Nothing succeeds like success."

Indian team fulfilling dreams of pioneers

For Shubhangi Kulkarni, one of the pioneers of women's cricket in India, this win is the culmination of a 50-year-long wait.

"After five decades, we finally have a new champion other than Australia, England, or New Zealand," she said, her voice trembling with emotion.

"We couldn't win the cup in our time, but these girls have fulfilled our dreams. When I saw them lift the trophy, I couldn't hold back my tears."

Kulkarni believes this victory was built on resilience.

"They lost three matches in a row, faced harsh criticism online, but they held their nerves and bounced back like true champions," she said.

"That's what makes this team special."

There were many subplots to India's historic triumph.

Harmanpreet, part of the team that lost the 2017 final by nine runs, carried that pain as motivation.

"We know how it feels to lose," she said before the final.

"But we are looking forward to how it feels to win."

Coach Amol Muzumdar, who scored over 11,000 first-class runs without ever playing for India, finally found poetic justice, guiding the team to a world title.

Shafali Verma, once dropped, returned as an injury replacement and shone brightest, winning Player of the Match in the final.

And Jemimah Rodrigues, trolled for poor form earlier in the tournament, produced a Kapil Dev-like knock (175 not out against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup) with 127* against Australia in the semis, which turned the tide.

But it's the impact off the field that Kulkarni is most excited about.

"Our team has become household names," Kulkarni said.

"Parents will now encourage daughters to take up sport. And not just playing — there are careers in coaching, commentary, analysis, umpiring, physiotherapy. The doors are wide open."

WPL, 2017 World Cup heartbreak were key turning points

In a short period of time, women's cricket in India has travelled from uneven, dusty grounds to floodlit stadiums packed with roaring fans.

From unpaid players juggling multiple jobs, to professionally contracted athletes supported by a 15 to 20-member staff, the transformation has been staggering.

"Back then, we just had a coach, manager, physio and trainer," Shah said.

"Today's players can focus entirely on their game — and it shows."

The turning point, many agree, came after the 2017 World Cup, when India reached the final at Lord's.

Televised matches, marketing support, and role models like Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami changed the narrative.

Then came the Women's Premier League (WPL), a game-changer in every sense.

"WPL gave the girls confidence," Kulkarni said.

"They started playing in packed stadiums, rubbing shoulders with international stars. Look at young spinner Shree Charani — [she was] a debutant in this World Cup, yet so composed and performed brilliantly."

A historic shift for women's cricket

Veteran cricket writer Vijay Lokapally, who has chronicled the evolution of women's cricket for decades, sees this as a historic shift.

"There were times when I was the only journalist at a women's match," he said.

"There wasn't even a proper press box. Players knew the handful of reporters by name. But hats off to them, they kept going, even when male colleagues refrained from covering women's cricket."

According to Lokapally, the seeds of change were sown when Air India and Indian Railways began offering jobs to women cricketers, and later, when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took charge.

"Support from the board changed everything," he said.

"This team's biggest strength was how they understood their potential, and a coach like Amol Muzumdar helped them believe in it."

Just two weeks before the World Cup final, India celebrated the festival of light Diwali. And yet, as the fireworks faded, the women in blue ensured the celebration never ended.

Their win lit up every home, every heart, every dream.

From gully cricket matches played by little girls, to grandmothers proudly watching the news — this triumph belonged to the nation.

Fifty years after India first played a Women's World Cup, Harmanpreet Kaur and her team did not just lift a trophy. They lifted a nation's spirit.

Because now, finally, cricket is everyone's game.

Click here to read article