R Ashwin Calls Women's WC Triumph Bigger Than Any Other Title, Says 'It Inspires Girls...'

Indian veteran R Ashwin lauded the Indian women's team for clinching their first-ever World Cup, describing it as a "colossal achievement" for the country. Ashwin, who regularly communicates his opinion through his official YouTube channel called it as a bigger milestone than any other title the country has won so far.

Harmanpreet Kaur broke the jinx of not winning an ICC title for Women's Cricket Team on Sunday as India beat South Africa by 52 runs in front of a packed crowd at the DY Patil stadium.

"I would truly rate this as an even bigger and more colossal achievement than any other World Cup that we have won, because it inspires girls to play the game and consider the sport as a career option," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

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After their victory, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side made an incredible gesture by sharing the trophy with icons like Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Anjum Chopra, and Reema Malhotra. Ashwin praised Harmanpreet and her teammates for the magnanimity, noting that this gesture was notable as the men’s team has never done anything similar in the past.

"This victory of the Indian team, how do you see it? Back in 2016-17, when Harmanpreet Kaur played that incredible innings against Australia, after that came the heartbreak against England. Jhulan Goswami was part of that World Cup. Mithali Raj was part of that World Cup," he said.

"Even yesterday, the Indian team gave the trophy to Mithali Raj. Why did they do that? I actually take my hat off to the Indian women's team for that. The Indian men's team has never done something like this," he added.

"Sometimes in front of the media, we say things because that's the media trend, that this person did it or that person did it. But I haven't often seen anyone giving true credit to the previous generation.

"Usually, it becomes about 'my generation's team is good' and 'your generation's team wasn't that great'. I've seen a lot of such discussions," Ashwin said.

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It was a watershed moment for Indian women's cricket as years of toil and near misses culminated in an evening of redemption and history, with the team becoming only the fourth side to lift the ODI title.

Recalling an eight-year-old incident, Ashwin said: "Harmanpreet Kaur, from 2009 to the present, has set the ball rolling in many ways. Despite that, when she lost three games in the tournament, people raised questions about her captaincy. And I was surprised. To come from so far behind.

"Many years back, Ambati Rayudu was playing at the Hyderabad Gymkhana Stadium. It was in 2017/18, and he was already a sensation then, and hence the stadium was packed. However, nobody knew that Mithali Raj, then the captain of the Indian women's team, was practicing at the same venue. And look where we have arrived now."