India's 2025 Sporting Glory: Cricket Triumphs and Para-Athlete Pride

PM Modi was addressing the nation in the 129th edition of the 'Mann Ki Baat' programme.

Speaking on the programme, PM Modi said, "2025 was also a memorable year in terms of sports. Our Men's Cricket team won the ICC Champions' Trophy. The women's cricket team won the World Cup for the first time. The daughters of Bharat created history by winning the women's blind T20 World Cup. The Indian tricolour was raised high with pride as India won the Asia Cup T20 trophy. By winning several medals in world championships, para-athletes proved that no obstacle can stop determination."

The first major championship that India won in sports was the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, hosted by Pakistan and the UAE, with India playing its matches in Dubai owing to a hybrid model in place while hosting tournaments which involve India/Pakistan as hosts.

Superstar batters Rohit Sharma (A title-sealing 76 in the final against New Zealand), Virat Kohli (100* against Pakistan and 84 against Australia in the semifinals), and Shubman Gill (a century against Bangladesh) chipped in big runs. In contrast, middle-order pillars KL Rahul (140 runs in four matches at an average of 140.00 and at a strike rate of 97.90) and Shreyas Iyer (India's leading run-getter with 243 runs in five innings, including two fifties) made sure India never lacked when the top-order failed to fire.

On the bowling front, spinners Varun Chakravarthy and pacer Mohammed Shami (nine wickets each) and spinner Kuldeep Yadav (seven wickets) delivered consistent returns as frontline bowlers, making the campaign, concluding with a four-wicket win over New Zealand, while chasing 252, a collective team effort.

Also, from September 26 to October 5, India hosted the World Para Athletics Championships for the first time, with more than 2,200 participants from 100-plus nations competing in 186 medal events. India delivered its best-ever performance at home, with 22 medals, including six gold, nine silver, and seven bronze.

India's medal haul was headlined by para javelin thrower Sumit Antil, who completed a double of two Paralympic gold medals and two World Championship titles, while also holding the current world record in his discipline with a throw of 73.29 m.

In November, the Indian women's team, led by 16-year-old veteran Harmanpreet Kaur and coach Amol Muzumdar, one of the finest domestic cricketers to have never donned the Indian jersey, made history by capturing the maiden 50-over World Cup crown at their home, beating South Africa in the final by 52 runs in the final, with a brilliant knock of 87 from Shafali Verma and a double of half-century and five-wicket haul from all-rounder Deepti Sharma playing a massive role in India's win.

In the same month, the Indian women's blind team made history by capturing the first-ever women's Blind T20 World Cup, beating Nepal in the final. The team led by Captain Deepika TC, India, dominated the six-nation tournament featuring Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, and the United States, with the final played on November 23, in Colombo.

- ANI