India's Daughters Create History: Women's Cricket Team Wins Maiden World Cup

Addressing a public gathering in Saharsa, PM Modi said, "Yesterday in Mumbai, India's daughters have created history. India has won the Women's Cricket World Cup for the first time. After 25 years, the world has got a new world champion, and India's daughters have given this pride to the entire nation. This victory isn't just limited to the sports field. It's also a symbol of India's daughters' newfound confidence."

He further added, "These are daughters from small villages and towns; these are daughters of our farmers, labourers, and lower middle-class families. I'm proud of them; the entire nation is proud. I also extend my heartfelt congratulations to the parents of these champion daughters."

Congratulations and praises poured in for the team, as the women made history by winning the world championship.

Indian batting icon Virat Kohli hailed the national women's team, saying that they deserve all the applause for their historic feat, which saw "years of hard work come to life finally".

After heartbreaks in the 2005 and 2017 finals, the luck, skill set, balance and depth favoured Team India; the clinical Women in Blue overcame South Africa, the first-time finalists, by 52 runs to secure their first-ever World Cup title across both T20I and ODI formats.

All-round performances from Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma were the crowning jewels for the team in the title clash.

Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar also pointed out how, just like the 1983 World Cup win by the men's team inspired an entire generation to dream big, this Indian team has "inspired countless young girls across the country to pick up a bat and ball".

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president Rajeev Shukla also extended his wishes to the team, posting, "Our Women are the Champions! Congratulations to @ImHarmanpreet & entire Indian Women's Cricket Team for winning the World Cup Finals vs SA. Our first & a milestone victory in the history of the game. Great performances by @TheShafaliVerma & @Deepti_Sharma06. @BCCI @BCCIWomen."

South Africa won the toss and opted to bowl first. A century partnership between Smriti Mandhana (45 in 58 balls, with eight fours) and Shafali Verma kick-started things for India, followed by another 62-run stand between Shafali (87 in 78 balls, with seven fours and two sixes) and Jemimah Rodrigues (24 in 37 balls, with a four). India was at a fine platform of 166/2.

A 52-run stand between skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (20 in 29 balls, with two fours) and Deepti Sharma took India beyond the 200-run mark. A final flourish by Deepti (58 in 58 balls, with three fours and a six) and Richa Ghosh (34 in 24 balls, with three fours and two sixes) helped India reach 298/7 in their 50 overs.

During the run-chase, a fifty-run stand started things for SA, with Tazmin Brits (23 in 35 balls, with two fours and a six) being the first victim. Eventually, despite skipper Laura Wolvaardt's dominance, the golden arms of Shafali Verma (2/36) and Shree Charani reduced SA to 148/5.

Wolvaardt had a 61-run stand for the sixth wicket with Annerie Dercksen (37 in 35 balls, with a four and two sixes), which slowly started to rebuild pressure on India. Wolvaardt (101 in 98 balls, with 11 fours and a six) continued her red-hot form, bringing up her century after having registered 169 against England in the semifinal just a few days back.

However, a game-changing spell from Deepti removed both set batters and had the Proteas struggling at 221/8. She became the first Indian woman with a WC final four-fer. Deepti (5/39) eventually managed to convert it into a fiver, as India made history to win their maiden WC title by bundling out SA for 246 runs.

- ANI