VIDEO SHOWS: POST-MATCH PRESS CONFERENCES AFTER WOMEN'S CRICKET WORLD CUP FINAL SHOWS: NAVI MUMBAI, INDIA (NOVEMBER 2, 2025) (ICC – See restrictions) 1. (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) INDIA CAPTAIN, HARMANPREET KAUR, SAYING: "We felt we could win from the first ball itself. Because the way our team was playing in the last three games, a lot of things changed for us — especially our self-belief. We have played good cricket for a long time. We knew what we could do as a team. So, from the first ball itself, I had the belief that it doesn’t matter – because we don’t normally win the toss – we knew we had to bat first. We knew there would be tough conditions for batting, but credit goes to Smriti (Mandhana) and Shafali (Verma); they handled the first 10 overs very well. Our aim was simple – we knew that if we thought of a big target, we would come under pressure. The main thing was to keep batting and keep playing our game. We tried to score 300 runs on the board; we were one run short. But after that, I think we came onto the field as a strong unit. Whenever we needed it, we got a breakthrough. It was a very good match. It seems easy to say now, but there was a lot of tension in between when they were batting – like Laura, she was not giving a chance. But at the end of the day, I’m feeling great. I don’t know how to express it, but I’m just trying to tell you what I’m feeling." 2. WHITE FLASH 3. (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) INDIA CAPTAIN, HARMANPREET KAUR, SAYING: I think it’s all destiny — I really believe in that. And we didn’t want Pratika (Rawal) to face any such thing. When she got injured, everybody was crying. Even before that, when Yastika(Bhatia) got injured during our training camp, everybody was crying because this team is very special. They pray for each other. They stay together in ups and downs.First, Yastika leaving the team was heart-breaking for us. Then, when we were just starting to do well, Pratika got injured. But when Shafali came, we didn’t want her to feel that she came in under an injury cloud. Even Pratika was so positive. I think everyone took everything positively. They didn’t think, “Why is this happening to us?” Before the tournament started, we had an injury; in the middle of the tournament, we had a big injury. Yet, everybody was so positive. Everyone was thinking that our end goal was this trophy. And for the trophy, we had to keep working hard day and night. And this is the result. 4. WHITE FLASH 5. (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) INDIA CAPTAIN, HARMANPREET KAUR, SAYING: "Actually, when Shafali joined the team, we were missing the overs from Pratika. So, when Shafali came in, we saw that she was bowling a lot of overs in domestic cricket. So, Sir and I spoke to her about it, and she said, “Sir, I’m ready for 10 overs.” That shows how confident she was to bowl. Today, when that partnership started in the middle, suddenly I got the thought that I should give Shafali a try to see what happens. It was a gut feeling. I thought it could be risky too, but at the same time, I was positive because she had shown confidence when we spoke to her. I didn’t want to go back to the room later thinking, “Why didn’t I try?” because they were looking good. And when I gave her that over and she got back-to-back breakthroughs, that was the turning point for us." 6. WHITE FLASH 7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOUTH AFRICA CAPTAIN, LAURA WOLVAARDT, SAYING: "Yeah, I thought we were in the chase for a very long time. I think we were pretty neck and neck with them when they showed the updates on the scoreboard. I thought me and (Annerie) Dercksen's partnership was pretty big. I thought we were going to take it through to the end. Then she just got out right as we were trying to sort of launch into the back ten and then I went out to soon after. And yeah, I still thought Chloe (Tryon) and Nades (Nadine de Klerk) could do it together. I think we left Nadine a little bit too much to do by herself. But, yeah, I think we were right in that game for a lot of it." 8. WHITE FLASH 9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOUTH AFRICA CAPTAIN, LAURA WOLVAARDT, SAYING: "Yeah, definitely. I think it's been a great campaign for us – to make it all the way to the final is really awesome. I think we'll still look back at this tournament as a lot of positives. I think we've played some really good cricket throughout this tournament. I think at one stage we won five games in a row or something like that, which is pretty big for our group. Just searching for that consistency which is something that we don't necessarily have in bilaterals. So really proud that we're able to perform in, in big tournaments." STORY: India's agonising wait for a maiden Women's World Cup title finally came to an end as Harmanpreet Kaur and her teary-eyed teammates clinched the trophy by beating South Africa in a dramatic final at the DY Patil Stadium on Sunday (November 2). Their 52-run victory before a full house was the perfect culmination of a campaign, which was nearly derailed after three defeats in a row, including one against South Africa, in the league phase. Kaur's team pulled off a record chase in their semi-final against defending champions Australia to reach the final against a South Africa side also gunning for their maiden 50-over World Cup title. India found an unlikely hero in opener Shafali Verma, whose whirlwind 87 was key to their total of 298-7 even though 350 looked within their reach at one stage. Verma also had a golden arm, claiming two quick wickets that turned the match on its head after South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt (101) led their robust reply with her second successive hundred of the tournament. Verma walked away with the player-of-the-match award in the final of a tournament where she was drafted in only before the knockout stage as a late injury replacement. Deepti Sharma was equally impressive, smashing a run-a-ball 58 and following it with figures of 5-39. The 28-year-old finished the World Cup with 22 wickets and 215 runs, which earned her the player-of-the-tournament award. Wolvaardt kept South Africa, who were all out for 246 in the 46th over, in the chase but once she holed out in the deep, India took charge of the contest. (Production: Conal Quinn)
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