India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said she hopes her team can make winning a habit after guiding India to their maiden Women’s ODI World Cup title with a 52-run win over South Africa in the final at the DY Patil Stadium on Sunday.

“This is the start. We wanted to break this barrier. And our next plan is to make this a habit,” said Harmanpreet after receiving the winner’s medal. “We were waiting for it. Now this moment has come. So many big occasions are coming, and we want to keep improving. This is not the end, just the beginning.”

India’s 298 proved enough to seal a historic triumph, with Deepti Sharma’s five-wicket haul and Shafali Verma’s all-round show leading the way. Shafali, who struck a brisk half-century and picked two crucial wickets, was named Player of the Match.

“They were looking really good,” Harmanpreet said of the South African partnership between Laura Wolvaardt and Sune Luus.

“I just saw Shafali standing there, and the way she batted today, I knew it was her day. I thought I had to go with my gut feeling. And that was the turning point for us.”

The skipper credited her side’s self-belief for the turnaround after a difficult group stage. “Even though we lost three back-to-back games, we knew we had something special to turn things around. Everyone stayed positive and involved, and this team deserves to be here,” she said.

Speaking about the final, Harmanpreet said her team was confident that 298 would be enough. “Today’s pitch was totally different. We knew this total was enough for a final because you always have a little extra pressure. Credit to South Africa — they batted beautifully, but in the end, they panicked a little, and that is where we cashed in,” she said.

Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, who shared a 100-run opening stand with Shafali, said it was an “unreal” feeling to win a World Cup at home.

“I don’t know how to react to that. It’s still sinking in. Just to read ‘champions’ beside India’s name, it still hasn’t sunk in,” she said.

Reflecting on the team’s journey, Smriti said India’s focus on fitness and unity had paid off.

“Every World Cup we’ve gone in, there have been heartbreaks. We always believed that we had a bigger role in women’s cricket. I don’t know how to explain the last 40 days, but to end it with a World Cup, I’ll take those sleepless nights,” she said.

“The real strength of this team is how it stays together and enjoys each other’s achievements,” Smriti added.