India’s blind women cricketers won the inaugural T20 Blind Women’s World Cup on Sunday, defeating Nepal by seven wickets in a clinical, one-sided final at Colombo’s P Sara Oval.

The result capped a remarkable fortnight for Indian women’s cricket, coming just days after India lifted their first-ever Women’s World Cup by beating South Africa in Mumbai.

India chose to bowl first in Colombo and restricted Nepal to 114 for 5. They did not concede a boundary until deep into the innings. Nepal managed only one boundary. India’s bowlers controlled the match from the start, kept the fielding tight and allowed nothing loose.

India reached 117 for 3 in only 12 overs. Phula Saren led with 44 not out from 27 balls.

India had entered the final after beating Australia in the semifinal.

Nepal had advanced by defeating Pakistan, whose partially sighted batter Mehreen Ali dominated the tournament overall, scoring more than 600 runs, including a 78-ball 230 against Sri Lanka and 133 against Australia.

The six-team event — featuring India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia and the USA began on 11 November in Delhi before moving to Bengaluru. The knockouts were held in Colombo, where co-hosts Sri Lanka managed one win in the preliminary stage.

But while the final delivered the scorecard, the story began in the steady rise of visually impaired women who built a national team from scratch.

Many come from villages, farming families and government hostels.

They were introduced to sport through teachers, disability organisations or community camps.

The 16-member Indian squad spans nine states: Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Delhi, Assam and Bihar.

A few days back, India held their nerve under the weight of immense expectation to beat South Africa by 52 runs and secure their first Women’s World Cup title.

India, a cricket-obsessed country that has long wanted its women to stand alongside its men on the world stage, Sunday saw another women’s team — far from the television cameras — confront pressure of its own and succeed.