Captain Harmanpreet Kaur on India's first-ever World Cup win: 'This is just the beginning'

Harmanpreet Kaur is as fierce as they come. Whether she is on the right side of things or not, you don't expect anything less than all-out aggression from the skipper. Moments after India won their first-ever Women's World Cup, Kaur was lost for words and anyone who has observed her for a long time would know that this wasn't a usual occurrence.

On a day when India ended their 47-year-old wait for a World Cup trophy in women's cricket, Kaur was quietly confident of living the moment but also hugely upbeat about what the future holds. Winning is a habit and this Indian side would want this to be the first chapter of that great habit. Kaur definitely thinks so.

"This is just the beginning. We wanted to break this barrier, and now we’ve done it. Our next goal is to make this consistent - to make it happen again and again," said Kaur at the post-match ceremony.

"We’ve got the Champions Cup and another World Cup next year. Big moments are coming, and we just want to keep improving day by day. This is not the end - it’s the start of a new chapter."

India seemed to be about 25-30 runs short at the halfway mark, given how the pitches at the venue had behaved in previous games. When Laura Wolvaardt was going strong with Sune Luus, one might have felt that India are under the pump. Kaur, however, felt that they always had the belief due to the 'different' nature of the Navi Mumbai surface.

"We knew 290 was a fighting total in the final. Finals always come with pressure. Credit to South Africa, they played beautifully. But in the end, when they panicked a bit, we seized the moment, took those crucial wickets, and turned the game our way. Very special. Every World Cup, we would talk as a team about what we needed to do to cross that final line"

Kaur also heaped praises on head coach Amol Muzumdar whose tenure with the Indian team has been a roller-coaster ride. The team has seen swift progress but the lack of silverware was surely haunting them until before this tournament. Now, with the World Cup trophy ticked, the team can dream of achieving a lot more as a group.

"The last two years under Amol sir, we’ve worked so hard. He kept reminding us that this team is capable of something extraordinary. Credit to the support staff and the BCCI for trusting us - they didn’t make too many changes, they believed in this group. And today, we’re standing here because of everyone who’s been part of this journey - past and present."

Smriti Mandhana, India's top-scorer in the tournament and the second-highest overall, is a relieved person like many of her teammates. For years, her individual performances have also been under scrutiny due to her lack of big scores in ICC tournaments. Mandhana put all that to rest with crucial knocks in this World Cup and though she missed out on a huge score in the final, the vice-captain did set the platform.

"Every World Cup we’ve gone into, there have been so many heartbreaks for all of us. But we always believed that we had a bigger responsibility - not just to win, but to keep growing women’s cricket," said Mandhana.

"And honestly, just look at the support we’ve had over the last month and a half. It’s been incredible. To finally lift the World Cup today - I’ll take those 45 sleepless nights any day for this moment. That last World Cup was definitely tough for all of us to take. But after that, we had a clear focus - to get fitter, stronger, and better in every area. And honestly, what’s special about this team - and no one really talks about it - is how much we stuck together. Everyone supported each other, through good days and bad. We genuinely celebrated each other’s success. The team environment this time… it was just so positive, so connected. That’s been the biggest difference, I think."