New Delhi, Nov 9 (IANS) On November 2, a billion hopes and a home World Cup campaign culminated in a historic triumph for India, as Sneh Rana and the Women in Blue lifted their maiden Women’s ODI World Cup title with a 52-run win over South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
The 2025 edition of the Women’s ODI World Cup was widely seen as India’s best shot at the silverware, and the team delivered under immense pressure, despite three successive defeats in the group stage.
Sneh, who played a pivotal role in the win with seven wickets and 99 runs across six matches, spoke in an exclusive conversation with IANS on the feeling of a World Cup win, having stalwarts of the game in winning celebrations, the camaraderie within the group and more. Excerpts: –
Q. Has the feeling of being a World Cup winner truly sunk in yet?
A. No, it hasn’t sunk in yet because I came home yesterday. The welcome that I have received here in Dehradun, I have actually just come up from being amongst the crowd here because people are just coming and going. So, I haven’t been able to get that sunk-in feeling yet. It’s still going on.
Q. What did it mean to have stalwarts like Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Anjum Chopra and Reema Malhotra join in the celebrations?
A. It was very special because they have kept the foundation of women’s cricket in this country. So, they also deserve that trophy equally. They had been working hard for many years. They have worked very hard at their time so that this day of lifting the trophy would come.
We are happy that we were able to do all this for them because the growth of women’s cricket has been going on for a long time, and all of them are behind it. So, first of all, we met Reema di on the ground. Maybe she was getting some bytes (for her broadcast work).
When we went to take a victory lap, we met Reema di and she was so happy and emotional. All became very emotional and they loudly put out a slogan, ‘sadda haq, aithe rakh (Give me my rights, here and now)’. A video of it was also there and many people must have seen it live.
Then we met Mithali di, Jhulu di and Anjum di, who were all very emotional – they had tears in their eyes. I mean, everyone’s pride was visible in their eyes. So, it was very nice. I don’t know the story behind the song being said. But at that moment, that song fit very well – sadda haq, aithe rakh, with the trophy in hand.
Q. Looking back, how would you describe the team’s preparation and your own performances in the tournament?
A. See, the preparation that we did, and the strategies that we made, we all followed them. There was a lot of role clarity about what to do. Everyone knew about the opposition, what they do, and how they play. So, we made the same plans.
We used to have a lot of discussions with our bowling coach about what we can do, how we can use variations, and how it can be used on which batter. So, all of that worked a lot. If I want to say personally, Marizanne Kapp’s wicket was my favourite. I think it is my ball of the tournament.
Q. There seemed to be a strong camaraderie in the squad. What was the atmosphere like within the group?
A. See, when you spend so much time with each other, then it is very important for you to build a bonding. Only then you will be able to go up in the team game and you will get success. That’s why it is called a team game. Otherwise, if we do it individually, we won’t be able to go up that much. If it is a team game, then we know who is in which mood on which day.
So, we have started to understand each other so much that the bonding started to form on its own. Before the World Cup campaign, we were together for about two months. So, a very good bond has been formed with everyone. Everyone knows each other’s mood, how it is, and what we do, so that is a very good bonding.
It is very special because we have been working hard for many years. We have been preparing for the World Cup for the last 6-7 months. Before that, there was the England tour.
Even before that, we were talking about what we have to do because we had it in mind that we have to win the World Cup. So, a lot of preparation was going on behind that. A lot of camps were set up in different venues and that preparation finally came in handy in the World Cup campaign.
Q. You’ve played under Harmanpreet Kaur for a while now. How would you describe your dynamic with her in this World Cup?
A. It was very nice. She has been a captain for so many years and has played a lot of matches with the opposition and played a lot of series. So, she knows what and how to do it. Even in bowling, she used to come here and we used to talk about what to do now because at times an on-field player may not know what is going on.
Then she used to come and tell us that if we do this, maybe something good will happen and it happened as well. So, it was very nice to have a good bonding with her. The way she has prepared, and shown her skills at this level was very nice. I am very happy that she has finally lifted the trophy and she even got the last catch, so it is even more special for her.
Q. How instrumental was the support staff’s role in shaping the team’s mindset and execution?
A. When I say team, I mean all the support staff is involved. Without them, no one would be able to do anything. In fact, not just the coaches, but all our physios, masseurs, trainers, all the coaches, our video analyst, throwdown specialist – everyone is involved in this. It is because of their hard work behind the scenes, maybe only a few people know about it. But their contribution to the game is very amazing.
Amol sir has very good inputs because he has also played a lot of cricket and we talk to him a lot about the pitch and the inputs he gives on the ground. He maintains a very positive atmosphere in the team and whenever he feels down, he talks to anyone and handles everything very well. We are also very open to him, and if we feel something, we talk to him and share it.
Aavishkar sir, our bowling coach, we talk to him a lot. Like what can we do on a particular pitch? How can we improve? Or when can we put variations in the sequence of balls? How can we play with the batter’s mind? So we talk to him a lot. The fielding coach (Munish) Bali sir, we also have a lot of sessions with him, like how can we improve by one percent every day? So he has a very major role in this victory.
Q. What kind of impact do you think the World Cup win will have on women’s cricket in India?
A. It will have a huge impact. The growth of women’s cricket will be seen even more. The kids who want to play, but who were afraid, or whose parents are afraid that in sports, you can’t make a career, or can’t play professionally, I think their mindset will change now.
Like the BCCI has taken a lot of steps for women’s cricket – for example, the pay parity (for international games match fees) is present. So a lot of changes have come from that too. But now I understand that every girl in every house can say that, now that the women’s cricket team has won a trophy, and one day we also want to bring that trophy for India – that mindset will change now.
–IANS
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