The ICC Women's World Cup 2025 ended on Sunday (November 2), with hosts India clinching the coveted title with a comprehensive 52-run victory over South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai.

The triumphant campaign was far from smooth for the Women in Blue as they faced heavy backlash in the middle of the tournament following their three successive defeats.

As the Indian women’s team proved their critics wrong by staging a comeback for the ages, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur gave a graceful reply to the doubters as she called it a part of life.

“Well, I think that’s also a part of life. It’s not necessary that everything should be good. Criticism is also one of the main things in life because it brings balance. Otherwise, if everything goes well, you’ll be overconfident. I don’t blame those who criticise, because we know when we aren’t doing something right. I don’t have much to say, but I like to keep both things balanced,” said Harmanpreet in the post-match presser.

Moreover, the Indian captain stated that she doesn’t let the on-field results get the better of her emotions.

“When good things happen, I don’t go too high; when bad things happen, I don’t dig deep. For me, the most important thing is to keep things balanced, and I try to send the same message to my teammates. When everything is going well — it’s okay, well done, but now we have to maintain it. And even when things aren’t going well, we try to keep everyone together so that we can lift that person up,” she added.

In the final, India posted 298/7 on the board after being asked to bat first, courtesy of Shafali Verma’s 87, Deepti Sharma’s 58, and vital contributions from Smriti Mandhana (45) and Richa Ghosh (34).

During the chase, South Africa fought hard on the back of skipper Laura Wolvaardt’s superb 101, but a sensational spell from Deepti (5/39) helped India bowl out the Proteas women for 246 in 45.3 overs.