Harmanpreet Kaur was seen crying after the semi-final win over Australia the other day. But Sunday was meant more for smiles, though there were tears of joy as well. After all, India Women won their maiden World Cup, in any format.

Difficult situations had gripped the Indian team after the loss to England in the league stage. But they never lost self-belief.

In the end, that self-belief worked wonders as Harmanpreet and her team carved out a convincing 52-run win over South Africa in the decider of the 2025 Women’s ODI Cup.

“That self-belief was always there in us even though we had lost three games in a row. We knew we had something special to turn things around. We stayed positive regardless of the odds.

“From the first ball itself today (Sunday), we knew we could win. Such was the self-belief,” the skipper said at the news conference after the match.

Understandably, she was at a loss for words. “Don’t know how to express these in words. I am just saying how I’m feeling. We deserved to be where we are.”

Harmanpreet wants this success to be just the start to greater things. “Our next plan is to make such success a habit. This is not the end, just the beginning rather.”