Coach Muzumdar's Final Speech: How India Wrote Their Own World Cup Story

Before India carved its name in history with a 52-run win, Muzumdar addressed the team in the group huddle and delivered a stirring speech. With his impactful words, Muzumdar wanted the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side to stay in a bubble that bars the outside noise and create history by lifting the coveted silverware.

"Seven hours we cut out all the noise. We cut them out of our lives; we create our own bubble here. Seven hours create our own bubble, and we step into it, and we finish that, and we write our own story, no more stories from the outside. We write our own story. You will write your own story. Let's stay in that bubble for the next seven hours. Let's create history," Muzumdar had said in a video posted by the ICC on Instagram after the victory on Monday.

In the throbbing final, India posted a daunting 298/7, courtesy of Shafali Verma's explosive 87(78) and Deepti Sharma's run-a-ball 58. In reply, South Africa crumbled to 246 in 45.3 overs despite skipper Laura Wolvaardt's rollicking 101(98). Muzumdar, who oversaw the historic moment, did not wear the Indian colours himself; he led from the dugout as the head coach of his nation.

"Absolutely proud. I don't know, it has not yet sunk in. Unbelievable achievement, and they deserve every credit and everything that will follow from here. They have worked terribly hard. They have done every Indian proud," Muzumdar said after the win.

"We did not look at those losses as losses, we looked at them as matches we couldn't get over the line. We dominated the majority of those games, and just thought there were some hiccups. We stayed alive in the tournament, and here we are, as world champions. I know for a fact that they have worked extremely hard for this, and it is a watershed moment for Indian cricket," he added while reflecting on the journey.

- ANI