“Never Credited Them”: Ashwin Slams Old IND Players After Mithali Raj Celebrates With Trophy

Ashwin exposed the Indian male cricketers after India Women’s team credited Mithali Raj for the historic win.

In a heartwarming display of respect, the triumphant Indian women’s cricket team immediately celebrated their maiden World Cup win with the legendary players who paved the way for their success.

Shortly after defeating South Africa in the final at Navi Mumbai, champions like Jhulan Goswami, Mithali Raj, and Anjum Chopra—who were commentating on the match—joined the festivities, lifting the trophy and sharing emotional moments with the new title-holders.

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This spontaneous gesture has drawn widespread praise, with veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin hailing it as “unbelievably good.” He commended the team for their authentic acknowledgement of the past, a move he noted was profoundly different from the often media-trained responses common in the sport.

“The entire Indian team gave the trophy to Mithali Raj. Why did they do it? I am actually taking my hat out. The Indian men’s team never did it. They only say it sometimes in front of the media because they are media-trained. But I have not seen them give credit to the previous generations. What I have seen is discussions about ‘my generation’s team is better than yours’. But this women’s team, Anjum Chopra was there, Mithali Raj was there, they gave the trophy to them in delight, telling them that the seeds that you sprinkled and watered are the seeds that are standing as winners today. I found that fascinating, unbelievably good.”

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Ashwin further emphasized that the team intrinsically understood their victory was the culmination of decades of effort by those who came before them.

“Today’s win is not of today’s alone. It has been a work of 25 years, probably three decades… That’s why I find this women’s team amazing. They have got everything on the right track. When you win, you are on a real high, and still you remember to celebrate the previous generations of cricketers who were there in the dressing room. They did that at that moment, not after somebody asked you to,” Ashwin added.