In a message quite similar to what the famous ‘Chak De India’ character Kabir Khan – played by Shah Rukh Khan – had said, India women’s team head coach Amol Muzumdar urged his team to block out the outside noise and write their own story before the Women’s World Cup final against South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday. In the 2007 movie, the character Kabir Khan had told the Indian women’s hockey team, before a World Cup final, to play the game of their lives for the next “70 minutes.” Muzumdar delivered a similar message to the Indian women’s cricket team.

Before India carved its name into history with a 52-run win, Muzumdar addressed the team in a group huddle and delivered a stirring speech. With his impactful words, Muzumdar wanted the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side to stay in a bubble that blocked out the outside noise and to create history by lifting the coveted silverware.

“Seven hours we cut out all the noise. We cut them out of our lives; we create our own bubble here. Seven hours-create our own bubble-and we step into it, and we finish that, and we write our own story. No more stories from the outside. We write our own story. You will write your own story. Let’s stay in that bubble for the next seven hours. Let’s create history,” Muzumdar said in a video posted by the ICC on Instagram, as quoted by news agency ANI.

In the pulsating final, India posted a daunting 298/7, courtesy of Shafali Verma’s explosive 87 (78) and Deepti Sharma’s run-a-ball 58. In reply, South Africa crumbled to 246 in 45.3 overs despite skipper Laura Wolvaardt’s rollicking 101 (98). Muzumdar, who oversaw the historic moment, did not wear the Indian colours himself; he led from the dugout as the head coach of his nation.

“Absolutely proud. I don’t know-it has not yet sunk in. Unbelievable achievement, and they deserve every credit and everything that will follow from here. They have worked terribly hard. They have made every Indian proud,” Muzumdar said after the win.

“We did not look at those losses as losses-we looked at them as matches we couldn’t get over the line. We dominated the majority of those games and just thought there were some hiccups. We stayed alive in the tournament, and here we are, as world champions. I know for a fact that they have worked extremely hard for this, and it is a watershed moment for Indian cricket,” he added, reflecting on the journey.