The Indian women’s cricket team, winner of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence yesterday and President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan today.
This ‘Women in Blue’ squad, the first Indian team to win the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, received high praise from PM Modi and President Murmu.
PM Modi lauded the players for their “remarkable resilience and comeback” in the World Cup after enduring a tough phase marked by three consecutive defeats.
President Murmu “congratulated the team and said that they have created history and have become role models for [the] younger generation”, according to an X post on the official handle of Rashtrapati Bhavan. “She said that this team reflects India. They represent different regions, different social backgrounds, different circumstances but they are one Team — India,” said the post.
In his conversation with the team yesterday, Modi referred to the trolling the players had faced on social media after the early setbacks, and he praised them for showing exemplary mental strength to bounce back and script history.
Recalling their earlier meeting with PM Modi after the 2017 World Cup, Indian women’s cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur said that the team had then come without a trophy. The women’s team had expressed hope at the time that it would achieve success and get to meet him again.
Vice-Captain Smriti Mandhana said that the prime minister’s words were a huge source of motivation.
The Harmanpreet-led side arrived in the national capital on Tuesday evening for the meeting, two days after scripting a defining moment for Indian women’s cricket by winning its maiden global title — the 50-over World Cup — with an emphatic 52-run victory over South Africa in the final match, held in Navi Mumbai.
During the interaction, Player of the Tournament Deepti Sharma told PM Modi that she had been waiting to meet him since 2017, recalling how he had then urged them to keep working hard to achieve their dream.
When the Prime Minister mentioned her “Jai Shri Ram” Instagram bio and the tattoo of Lord Hanuman on her arm, Deepti smiled and said they gave her strength.
Harmanpreet asked Modi how he managed to stay in the present at all times. The Prime Minister replied that it had become a part of his life and a habit over time.
He also recalled some memorable moments from the team’s journey, including Harleen Deol’s spectacular catch against England in 2021, about which he had posted on social media.
The prime minister fondly referred to Harmanpreet pocketing the ball after the World Cup final. She said that she was lucky the ball came to her.
In a lighter vein, Modi also spoke about Amanjot Kaur’s juggling catch in the final. “While catching, you must have been seeing the ball, but after catching it, you must have been seeing the trophy,” he joked.
Kranti Gaud told the prime minister that her brother was a big fan of his; in response, he extended an open invitation to meet him.
Modi urged the players to promote the “Fit India” message, especially among girls across the country. He expressed concern over the growing problem of obesity and emphasised upon the importance of fitness and physical activity.
He also encouraged them to visit their schools and inspire young minds to take up sports.
The players will now disperse to their respective hometowns. Player of the Match Shafali Verma, however, will head to Nagaland to lead the North Zone side in the upcoming Inter-Zonal T20 meet.
India’s World Cup triumph marked a watershed moment for women’s cricket in the country, bringing to fruition years of toil and near-misses, as Harmanpreet’s side overcame formidable South Africa.
