India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said she hopes that the team will make winning a habit after winning the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 title.

“This is the start. We wanted to break this barrier. And our next plan is to make this a habit,” the skipper said after beating South Africa by 52 runs in the final at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday.

“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,” she remarked after receiving her winner’s medal.

“Last game also, we spoke about the self-belief that was there, even though we lost three back-to-back games. We knew we had something special to turn things around. They stayed positive, we knew what we had to do, everyone was so involved, they were there day and night, and this team deserves to be there,” she said.

Half-centurion Shafali Verma struck gold when India was searching for a way to dismantle the budding partnership between Laura Wolvaardt and Sune Luus.

“They were looking really good.

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,” she said.

Shafali, who was brought in as an injury replacement for Pratika Rawal, registered her highest-ever ODI score and picked two crucial wickets before being adjudged Player of the Match.

“When she came to the team, we spoke to her that we might need 2-3 overs, and she said I will bowl ten overs. Credit goes to her; she was so positive, and she was there for the team,” said Harmanpreet.

Asked whether the team felt 298 was a defendable total, Harmanpreet said: “Today’s pitch was totally different. We knew this total is enough for a final because you always have a little extra pressure.”

“We should give credit to South Africa, they batted beautifully. In the end, they panicked a little, and that is where we cashed (in). At the right time, Deepti (Sharma) came in and took those wickets,” she said, referring to the all-rounder’s five-wicket haul to wrap up the South African innings.

Published on Nov 03, 2025