After the historic feat, India women’s team cricket’s meet with PM Narendra Modi for a ceremonial conversation. During this conversation, Narendra Modi talked with the India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur for a while.
When the Indian women’s cricket team met Prime Minister Narendra Modi after their World Cup victory, the atmosphere was filled with pride and joy. During this meeting, the PM asked captain Harmanpreet Kaur: “Why did you keep that match ball in your pocket? What was the reason? Was it after thinking about it, or did someone tell you something?”
Conversation between PM Modi and Team India captain Harmanpreet Kaur
Hearing the question, Harmanpreet smiled, and her answer touched the heart: “No, sir… this too was God’s plan. It wasn’t like the last ball, the last catch, would come to me, and that ball came to me… it’s just that all these years of hard work… it took years of waiting… now that it’s with me, it will stay with me. It’s still in my bag.”
Nearly 42 years ago, Sunil Gavaskar kept the match ball in his pocket after India’s first World Cup win in 1983 and now in 2025, Harmanpreet has inadvertently repeated the same moment – this time at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai.
In the final against South Africa, when Nadine de Klerk lofted Deepti Sharma’s delivery towards cover, Harmanpreet took a running catch to seal India’s first Women’s ODI World Cup title. Amid the celebrations, she discreetly tucked the ball into her pocket—an immortal memento of that historic night.Harmanpreet’s captaincy in the final was also excellent. She handed the ball to Shafali Verma, who typically bowls less in ODIs, and this move turned the match around. Shefali dismissed Sune Luus and Marizanne Kapp to put India in control.
Deepti Sharma’s five wickets and Shafali’s 87 runs gave India a historic victory.
This emotional moment from Harmanpreet marked the journey of Indian cricket from Lord’s 1983 to DY Patil 2025 – a journey that has now been recorded as a golden chapter for women’s sports.
