World Cup triumph hailed as India women's '1983 moment'
NEW DELHI :Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the tributes to India's women cricketers following their "historic" triumph in the World Cup final on Sunday while team captain Harmanpreet Kaur hoped it would be a watershed moment for the women's game in the country.
After suffering heartbreak in the final of the 2005 and 2017 editions of the 50-overs showpiece, India beat South Africa by 52 runs to secure their first title in front of 40,000 delirious home fans at Navi Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium.
Three defeats in a row earlier in the tournament had nearly derailed India's campaign before they bounced back to storm into the semi-finals, where they pulled off a record chase to eliminate seven-times champions Australia.
'DREAM BIG AND CHASE THOSE DREAMS'
"The team showed exceptional teamwork and tenacity throughout the tournament. Congratulations to our players," Prime Minister Modi said on social media. "This historic win will motivate future champions to take up sports."
The Indian cricket board announced the team would receive a reward of 510 million Indian rupees ($5.8 million) for their title triumph, a victory which the Indian Express newspaper termed "Herstoric" on its front page.
Harmanpreet said it could be a turning point for the women's game in the cricket-mad country.
"We have been talking about this for many years — we’ve been playing good cricket, but we had to win one big tournament," the batter said.
"Without that, we couldn’t talk about change. At the end of the day, fans and the audience want to see their favourite team win.
"It’s not that we weren’t playing good cricket, but we were waiting badly for this moment, and today we got a chance to live it."
The fairytale triumph of the Indian men's team at the 1983 World Cup is considered the catalyst for the country's rise to becoming a powerhouse of the game, both on and off the pitch, and batting great Sachin Tendulkar said Sunday's win was "a defining moment in the journey of Indian women’s cricket".
"1983 inspired an entire generation to dream big and chase those dreams," he wrote on social media.
"Today, our women’s cricket team has done something truly special. They have inspired countless young girls across the country to pick up a bat and ball, take the field and believe that they too can lift that trophy one day ..."
Mithali Raj, who led India to the 2017 women's final, said the victory for Harmanpreet's side had made her dreams come true.
"I’ve seen this dream for over two decades, to watch the Indian women lift that World Cup trophy," she wrote on X.
"Tonight, that dream finally came true. From the heartbreak of 2005 to the fight of 2017, every tear, every sacrifice, every young girl who picked up a bat believing we belong here, it all led to this moment."
($1 = 87.895 Indian rupees)
