- By Gurmeet Batra
- Mon, 03 Nov 2025 10:08 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
India Women's National Cricket Team Win Women's World Cup: India's historic World Cup-winning captain Harmanpreet Kaur disclosed that the vicious criticism following their heartbreaking loss to England served as a catalyst, connecting the team with a special focus to bounce back stronger and achieve transcendence.
India's World Cup journey was full of ups and downs as the side faced consecutive losses to South Africa, Australia, and England. In fact, against England, India were cruising at 234 for 3 before failing to surpass a target of 289.
That match ended in heartbreak with head coach Amol Mujumdar showing a virtual mirror to the team, and in the outside world, people were calling for the captain's head.
"Not a single player said 'what will happen now' when things were not going well, especially after the heartbreaking loss against England," Harmanpreet said at the post-match media conference after India's title triumph.
"That night changed a lot of things for us, we thought we will have to come out with a stronger mindset and everyone came together even more," the skipper revealed.
Talking about how she and her side dealt with the criticism, which was harsh in its tone and tenor, the captain was practical.
"It is a part of our life, criticism. Because it brings some balance. I don't blame those who criticise us and I don't have much to say. For me it is important to keep things balanced within the team," Harmanpreet said.
Harmanpreet echoed the coach's sentiment of forming a bubble within the team and not tending to the outside turmoil.
"I have played a lot of World Cups with her (Mandhana). We would lose at home and we were not able to break it (jinx). When we got to know the venue was DY Patil, we started celebrating and we decided we will not leave it. We spoke that we are at home and our World Cup begins now," the skipper said.