India’s Women’s World Cup 2025 triumph was nothing short of a fairytale. Few had expected Harmanpreet Kaur ’s side to even reach the final, especially after a shaky group stage that nearly ended their campaign. But what followed was one of the most remarkable turnarounds in Indian cricket history — one that, as Harmanpreet revealed, began with a fiery team talk from head coach Amol Muzumdar .
The hosts had started the tournament brightly with wins against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, before stumbling badly with consecutive defeats to South Africa, Australia and England. With their semifinal hopes hanging by a thread, India needed a spark. That moment came after the loss to England, when Muzumdar gave the team a stern reminder of what was at stake.
Recalling that turning point after India’s 52-run win over South Africa in the final, Harmanpreet said, “The last month has been very interesting. It’s very rare that things don’t go according to your plan, and yet you stay so positive. We were really looking for this cup — that was something special in our group. Not a single player said, ‘What will we do now?’”
She added, “Everybody just thought, ‘It’s okay.’ After losing the England match, we were really heartbroken. We were about to win that match, but we collapsed. We had seen this in the past. That day, (Amol Muzumdar) Sir also said, ‘You can’t make the same mistakes again and again. You have to cross that line’. After that day, a lot changed for us. Every time, we cannot go on repeating the same things. We had to come with a strong mind. That night changed a lot for us. It had an impact on everyone.”
India went on to defeat New Zealand in a virtual quarter-final, shocked Australia in the semifinals, and sealed the title with an all-round show from Deepti Sharma and Shafali Verma in the final.
Reflecting on the historic moment, Harmanpreet said, “We have been talking about this for many years – we’ve been playing good cricket, but we had to win one big tournament. (But) 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, and today we got a chance to live it. I don’t know how to express it, but I’m so happy and so proud of this team. I’m just trying to express what I’m feeling. I am numb. I am not able to understand. He (a journalist) asked two questions; I answered only one,” she said with a smile.
The night belonged to India — but its spark came from one tough conversation that turned heartbreak into history.
The hosts had started the tournament brightly with wins against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, before stumbling badly with consecutive defeats to South Africa, Australia and England. With their semifinal hopes hanging by a thread, India needed a spark. That moment came after the loss to England, when Muzumdar gave the team a stern reminder of what was at stake.
Recalling that turning point after India’s 52-run win over South Africa in the final, Harmanpreet said, “The last month has been very interesting. It’s very rare that things don’t go according to your plan, and yet you stay so positive. We were really looking for this cup — that was something special in our group. Not a single player said, ‘What will we do now?’”
She added, “Everybody just thought, ‘It’s okay.’ After losing the England match, we were really heartbroken. We were about to win that match, but we collapsed. We had seen this in the past. That day, (Amol Muzumdar) Sir also said, ‘You can’t make the same mistakes again and again. You have to cross that line’. After that day, a lot changed for us. Every time, we cannot go on repeating the same things. We had to come with a strong mind. That night changed a lot for us. It had an impact on everyone.”
India went on to defeat New Zealand in a virtual quarter-final, shocked Australia in the semifinals, and sealed the title with an all-round show from Deepti Sharma and Shafali Verma in the final.
Reflecting on the historic moment, Harmanpreet said, “We have been talking about this for many years – we’ve been playing good cricket, but we had to win one big tournament. (But) 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, and today we got a chance to live it. I don’t know how to express it, but I’m so happy and so proud of this team. I’m just trying to express what I’m feeling. I am numb. I am not able to understand. He (a journalist) asked two questions; I answered only one,” she said with a smile.
The night belonged to India — but its spark came from one tough conversation that turned heartbreak into history.
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