Editorial

The determination was written on every Indian player’s face

Opinion | Editorial | John S. Shilshi | 03-Nov-2025

On the intervening night of November 2nd and 3rd, the Indian women’s cricket team created history by winning the ICC Women’s World Cup for the first time at the DY Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai. The Indian women's cricket team defeated South Africa, a team that many cricketing greats have described as possessing the fiercest bowling attack capable of dismantling even the strongest batting line-ups in this World Cup. That they recovered from 69 runs all out against England in their opening encounter and propelled themselves to the final of this prestigious tournament is a testimony to their formidability. However, a resilient group of Indian women in blue humbled them at midnight on November 2 with a massive margin of 52 runs. Thus, the women in Blue finally hoisted the Cup aloft.

‘Determination’ was the key to achieving a feat that seemed impossible, especially since the trophy had eluded our women team on two previous occasions. In the entire fixture, the Australian team was considered the invincible unit – the reigning champions who lifted the cup not once, but on seven occasions. In that semi-final match against India, when a target of 339 was posted, everyone thought the game was done for the India team; therefore, their exit was inevitable, particularly after their opening pair was sent back to the dressing room in quick succession. But the likes of Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemmima Rodrigues had a different idea. They stood rock solid in countering the Australian fiery attacks and laid the foundation for the lower batters to clinch a final berth. The subdued celebration of her fifty runs and the subsequent hundred by Jemmima Rodrigues was a clear sign that winning was more important than a personal milestone. In other words, the expression of "determination" was evident on the faces of every Indian team member.

The women in blue showed their resolve in many ways during the final game against South Africa. Shefali Verma, who came in only to replace her injured teammate, not only top-scored but also effected two crucial breakthroughs by sending back two key players to the pavilion, while Deepti Sharma notched up a crucial fifty-plus runs and rubbed salt in South Africa's wounds, registering a timely five-wicket haul. Richa Ghosh hammering a quick 34 runs off 24 balls and Amanjeet Kaur clinging on to the ball after the initial fumble to catch out Laura Wolvaardt, the only South African player who delayed the Indian victory with a century, all personified that collective determination the women in blue had in them. The story continued with Harmanpreet Kaur’s running catch to remove Nadine de Klerk, the last South African wicket, which raptured the DY Patil Stadium audience and the millions across the country.

The prestigious trophy shall now have the name of India inscribed on it, a history that will remain indelible, an honour done to Mother India by none other than her daughters in this epoch-making event. Sadly, some sections of Indian society do not warmly welcome the arrival of daughters into the world. According to the UN Population Division data for 2025, India’s gender ratio is still a low 48.42%, only a shade higher than Singapore and Saudi Arabia with 48.33 and 39.46 per cent, respectively. But in recent years, daughters have had their fair share of bringing laurels to the country, not only in sports but also in various fields and professions. Therefore, for this cricket-crazy country, the World Cup win is significant. The country needs to salute each and every one of them for having done us proud.

There is also a lesson that some pseudo-nationalists in this country need to learn. Anyone whose words align with a different ideology is not an enemy of the country. They trolled Jemmima Rodrigues because she said it was Jesus, her God, who helped her to perform in her post-match comments as the chief architect of India’s famous win against Australia in the semi-final. Such mental poverty is deplorable; therefore, we need reminding that to win a final and lift the trophy, one must travel through a semifinal triumph. One hopes they will stop viewing everything through the lens of religious politics and join others in encouraging our athletes to invest in their determination quotient.

 

 

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