Just days after guiding India to a historic Women's ODI World Cup triumph, captain Harmanpreet Kaur and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana have found a permanent way to celebrate their achievement, by inking it on their skin.
On Wednesday, Harmanpreet shared a photograph of her new tattoo on social media, featuring the ODI World Cup trophy on her left arm.
The design also includes the numbers 52 and 2025, representing India’s 52-run victory over South Africa in the final in Navi Mumbai last Sunday and the year of the triumph.
“Forever etched in my skin and my heart. Waited for you since Day 1 and now I will see you every morning and be grateful,” she captioned her post, leaving fans in awe.
Soon after, pictures of Smriti Mandhana’s tattoo began circulating online. Her design too features the World Cup trophy, with 2025 inked just below it.
In a video released by the BCCI on Tuesday, Harmanpreet reflected on how her cricket journey began in childhood, playing with her father’s oversized bat.
“Ever since, as a kid, I started getting a sense of what likes and dislikes were, I’ve always seen a bat in my hand. I still remember we used to play with a bat from my dad’s kit bag. The bat was very big,” she said.
“One day, my dad cut an old bat of his to make it small for me. We used to play with it. Whenever we used to watch a match on TV, or watch India play, or watch the World Cup, I used to think, I need an opportunity like this. At that time, I didn’t even know about women’s cricket,” she added.
For Harmanpreet, that childhood dream eventually turned into a larger vision — not just to represent India, but to bring change in women’s cricket.
“I was dreaming, when will I wear this blue jersey? So I think this means a lot to me, a young girl who didn’t know about women’s cricket, but still dreaming that one day, I want to bring that change in our country,” she said.
“And I think, it all shows that you should never stop dreaming. You never know where your destiny will take you. You never think, when will it happen, how will it happen. You only think, this will happen. So, I think, that was my self-belief, that this can be possible. And that exactly happened.”
Athletes marking their triumphs with tattoos is a long-standing tradition in sport — a permanent reminder of their finest moments.
Argentinian winger Angel Di Maria commemorated his 2022 FIFA World Cup final heroics with a tattoo of the trophy on his right thigh, while centre-back Nicolas Otamendi inked a large image of Lionel Messi touching the World Cup for the first time after Argentina’s historic win over France.