India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana said it was unreal to win a home World Cup after winning the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 title, beating South Africa by 52 runs in the final at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday.
“I don’t know how to react to that. It’s still sinking in. Just an unreal moment (winning a) home World Cup,” she gleamed after India’s triumph.
“Just to read champions beside India’s name; it still hasn’t sunk in,” she said.
Smriti, who shared a 100-run stand with Shafali Verma before getting out, said she always believed that the Indian women’s cricket team had a bigger role to play.
“Every World Cup we go 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 45 days of not sleeping,” the southpaw said.
Reflecting on the disappointing campaigns of the last few editions, Smriti said: “The last T20 World Cup was a difficult one for us to take. We had a clear focus on doing well with fitness.
The real strength of this team is how it stays together and enjoys the other’s achievements,” she added.Published on Nov 03, 2025
