One year on: Reliving India’s road to the 2025 ICC Women’s World Cup title

A year ago today, the world witnessed a crowning moment built on years of sacrifice. Fighting a mountain of odds, the Indian women’s cricket team won their first ICC Women’s World Cup, beating South Africa in the final to complete a stunning turnaround.

It started on a high and finished on a high, but in the middle, the ride got bumpy, with the Women in Blue living on the edge. India’s tournament opener against Sri Lanka in Guwahati saw an exquisite fightback from Deepti Sharma (53) and Amanjot Kaur (57) after a rocky start. The Indian bowlers then kept their eyes on the prize as India walked away with a winning start.

The next challenge for India was a clash against their arch-rivals, Pakistan. Despite the batters facing a stern test, the Indian bowlers were ruthlessly clinical, and India won the lopsided encounter by 88 runs. India’s first roadblock came against South Africa.

Visakhapatnam was the epicentre of a thrilling battle won by the Proteas, riding on Nadine de Klerk’s miraculous unbeaten 84 off 54 balls, which outshone Richa Ghosh’s 94. Matters got worse for the Women in Blue as they suffered a second defeat, this time against Australia. Despite having the Aussies in a chokehold at one stage, Alyssa Healy’s 142 saw them through, leaving India visibly frustrated.

India were shocked further against England in Indore. They were in control of the chase but lost momentum towards the end and lost by four runs. Smriti Mandhana’s valiant 88 went in vain as India failed to close out the game and found themselves on the very edge of the cliff.

Hanging by a slender thread and facing New Zealand in a must-win match, Pratika Rawal and Smriti Mandhana came out charging. The two scored centuries at the top of the order (122 and 109), and despite fine knocks from Izzy Gaze and Brooke Halliday, the Women in Blue came out on top to secure a hard-fought semi-final spot.

In a rain-curtailed encounter against Bangladesh, India were dominating until rain played spoilsport. However, the biggest blow from that game was an injury to an in-form Rawal, who was ruled out of the knockouts. Shafali Verma was named as her replacement.

India then faced Australia in the semi-final, a herculean task for the Women in Blue. Australia won the toss and opted to bat first. Despite Kranti Gaud’s early strike to remove Healy, Phoebe Litchfield and Ellyse Perry quickly arrested any further decline.

Litchfield smashed 119 while Perry made a superb 77 to set the platform for a scintillating Australian finish. Ashleigh Gardner scored 63 off 45 balls to propel Australia to 338, setting India a target of 339. The Women in Blue needed to rewrite history to reach the final.

Much to India’s woes, they lost Shafali early, and Mandhana couldn’t add much either. However, Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur brought India back into the game. Kaur scored a fine 89 before Rodrigues took it upon herself to do the heavy lifting.

She had valuable support from Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh and Amanjot Kaur, who chipped in with handy cameos, before Rodrigues delivered the killing blow with an unbeaten 127. Her brilliance saw India chase down a world-record 339 to reach the final, stunning the world in the process.

It was 2 November, and India were ready for one final push. Up against South Africa, who had beaten them in the group stage, India had their nerves but also a squad brimming with confidence. South Africa won the toss and opted to field first.

Shafali, who couldn’t get going in the semi-final, brought out the big guns in the summit clash. She came out firing on all cylinders alongside Mandhana (45), who looked in total control. Shafali’s 87 was the cornerstone of India’s imposing batting show, while Deepti’s late half-century (58) took India to 298/7 at the end of their 50 overs.

South Africa began the chase well, but India quickly struck back, chipping away at wickets to slow the scoring rate. Despite Laura Wolvaardt’s century (101) on the big occasion, India’s relentless persistence cut down the Proteas one block at a time. Eventually, South Africa ran out of batters as India bowled them out for 246 with 4.3 overs to spare, winning by 52 runs.

Deepti bagged a five-wicket haul (5/39) to lead the charge, while Shafali (2/36) complemented her perfectly. De Klerk, the hero of South Africa’s group-stage win over India, was the last line of resistance to fall when Harmanpreet took a fine catch off Deepti’s bowling, sending India into unparalleled ecstasy.

That moment was a first for India, built on countless sacrifices, years of pent-up emotions and so much unseen hard work. In the end, that moment became immortal. Harmanpreet’s catch laid the capstone for a new era that began on 2 November 2025.

A year later, celebrations are being held across the nation to honour what that moment meant for India and everyone who fought until the dream was realised.