Decorated off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has rated India women’s team’s World Cup title triumph as a “bigger achievement” than any World Cup win that the nation has ever won because of the impact it can create in the landscape of the country’s women’s cricket.
With this memorable triumph, India now holds three ODI World Cup trophies across both men’s and women’s cricket. The first piece of silverware was brought home by Kapil Dev-led India in 1983. India added the second trophy on home soil under the leadership of MS Dhoni. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side has now lifted the third title at home. India also possesses two T20 World Cup titles (2007, 2024) and as many ICC Champions Trophy titles (2013, 2025).
For Ashwin, India’s women’s team’s story of World Cup success ranks above every single World Cup due to its magnitude. According to the 39-year-old, the famous victory will inspire the young girls to take up cricket as a serious career option and change the mindset of every single person associated with women’s cricket in India.
“I would put this and rate this as an even bigger and colossal achievement than any World Cup we have done and any other World Cup that has been won because this has the ability to bring the girls out there to practice the game of cricket and take up the sport seriously as a career option and it is going to change the mindset and conditioning of everybody associated with Indian women and Indian women’s cricket,” Ashwin said.
On Sunday at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium, India experienced euphoria with a 52-run triumph over South Africa. India powered its way to a commanding 298/7 on the back of Shafali Verma’s fiery 87(78) and Deepti Sharma’s composed run-a-ball 58. In reply, South Africa faltered on 246 in 45.3 overs, despite a counterattacking 101(98) from captain Laura Wolvaardt.-TIN Bureau