Legendary batter Mithali Raj was beaming with pride as the Indian women’s cricket team lifted their maiden ICC Women’s World Cup trophy, defeating South Africa in the final by 52 runs at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday (November 3).

Taking to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Mithali expressed her heartfelt joy, reflecting on her decades-long dream of seeing India crowned world champions.

“Champions of the World ????????????. I’ve seen this dream for over two decades, to watch the Indian women lift that World Cup trophy. Tonight, that dream finally came true," she wrote.

Mithali led India to World Cup finals in 2005 and 2017 but was unable to cross the final hurdle against Australia and England, respectively.

"From the heartbreak of 2005 to the fight of 2017, every tear, every sacrifice, every young girl who picked up a bat believing we belong here, it all led to this moment. To the new champions of world cricket, you didn’t just win a trophy, you won every heart that ever beat for Indian women’s cricket. Jai Hind,” she added.

In a touching gesture, India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur handed the World Cup trophy to Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami, acknowledging their immense contribution to the development of women’s cricket in India.

In an exclusive chat with NDTV, Mithali reflected on the historic night in Navi Mumbai that saw the Indian women’s team being crowned World Cup champions for the first time.

"The BCCI and the WPL have played a huge role in bringing about this change. India's World Cup participation, particularly hosting the event, showed an unprecedented level of response compared to previous tournaments, even the 2013 edition. What was especially heartening was the decision by the current BCCI secretary to honour all former cricketers during the opening match between India and Sri Lanka. This rightly emphasised that those who put in the hard work in the past truly sowed the seeds, allowing the current generation to stand on this platform. It was a very nice gesture," Mithali said.

Coming to 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).

In a chase of 299, 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.