Legendary India opener Sunil Gavaskar stated that the recent India Women’s World Cup 2025 win is not comparable to the 1983 World Cup win by Kapil Dev and his men. Gavaskar was also a part of the 1983 World Cup-winning Indian team, which had defeated West Indies in the final at Lord’s.

Indian Women’s team regrouped and bounced back from three straight defeats in the league stage to defeat Australia by chasing down a world record total of 338 runs, and then defeated South Africa in the final of the tournament on November 2 in Navi Mumbai, to lift their maiden World Cup trophy.

The triumph drew obvious comparisons to the Indian men's team's World Cup victories, particularly in 1983, when Kapil Dev's squad defied all odds to defeat the powerful West Indies.

Both victories were historic, paving the way for future generations of men and women to be drawn to the sport. However, the renowned Sunil Gavaskar does not agree with them, and here is why.

"The win once again emphasized, if ever it was needed, that sporting intelligence wins trophies, not fancy degrees from universities. It also proves that it will invariably be Indian coaches who get the best results since they know the players – their strengths, weaknesses, and temperament – and understand the nuances of Indian cricket better than any foreigner, however accomplished he or she may be," Gavaskar wrote in his column for The Sportstar.

"There were some who tried to compare this win with the men’s team winning the World Cup in 1983. The men had never progressed beyond the group stage in earlier editions, and so everything from the knockout stage onward was new to them, while the women already had a better record, having been in two finals before this magnificent triumph,” he added.

Gavaskar is correct in his statement, as the Indian team had won only one game in total in two World Cup editions in 1975 and 1979, that too against East Africa. In 1983, no one, not even the Indian team itself, thought that they would reach the semis, let alone win the World Cup.

On the other hand, the Indian Women’s team had previously reached the World Cup final twice, in 2005 and 2017, losing to Australia and England, respectively.

However, Gavaskar is confident that what Harmanpreet Kaur's team has accomplished is a watershed moment, one that promises to smash barriers and open the door to the next era of domination for Indian women's cricket.

"Just as the '83 win galvanized Indian cricket and gave it a voice that was heard around the world, this victory will make the countries that started women’s cricket long before India did realise that their era of domination has been shaken. The ’83 win also encouraged parents of aspiring cricketers to let their children take up the game.

Similarly, this win will give new wings to women’s cricket, bringing more girls into the game from the remotest parts of India. The WPL has already begun that process, as parents now see the sport as a genuine career option for their daughters and are more willing to support them,” Gavaskar stated.