‘Bigger Than Any Other World Cup’: Ashwin Hails India’s 2025 Women’s World Cup Win

Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin hailed India’s 2025 Women’s World Cup win as the nation’s most significant cricketing achievement. He said the title, India’s first in 13 editions of the ODI tournament, marks a turning point for women’s cricket.

Ashwin recalled how, during the 2017-18 season, Mithali Raj went unrecognised at a packed venue where Ambati Rayudu was playing, highlighting the sport’s rapid growth since then. He also urged filmmakers to document the team’s journey, focusing on every player and staff member rather than just the stars. Ashwin believes the win will inspire young girls across India to pursue cricket as a serious career.

“Many years back, Ambati Rayudu was playing at the Hyderabad Gymkhana Stadium. It was in 2017/18, and he was already a sensation then, and hence the stadium was packed. However, nobody knew that Mithali Raj, then the captain of the Indian women’s team, was practicing at the same venue. Look where we have arrived now. I would truly rate this as an even bigger and more colossal achievement than any other World Cup that we have won, because it inspires girls to play the game and consider the sport as a career option,” stated Ashwin in a video on his YouTube channel.

“This is such a significant achievement that it can be adapted into a movie by directors and producers. They have to change the way they tell the story. They cannot show that India won only because of 1-2 players. That’s not possible. People will always talk about Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma and Harmanpreet. But I want to see a story on Amol Muzumdar, on Shree Charani, and how she stood her ground. Remember, she wasn’t part of the scheme until June. I would love to see such small stories told in an 8-episode documentary,” he added.

In the match, India put up a strong batting display, scoring 298 for 7 in 50 overs after South Africa elected to field at the toss. Shafali Verma led the charge with a career-best 87 from 78 balls, while Deepti Sharma added a solid 58 off 58 deliveries.

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Chasing 299, South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt fought hard with a fluent 101 from 98 balls, but her teammates struggled to build partnerships. The visitors were dismissed for 246 in 45.3 overs. Deepti delivered a brilliant all-round performance, taking 5 for 39 in 9.3 overs.