NEW DELHI: She never stopped dreaming since picking up her father’s “big” cricket bat as a kid, and now Harmanpreet Kaur is feeling “humbled” after leading India to its maiden Women’s World Cup title.

After guiding India to a memorable 52-run win over South Africa in the final at Navi Mumbai on Sunday, the Indian skipper had a message for every young dreamer: “Never stop dreaming. You never know where your destiny will take you.”

From her father’s kit bag to the World Cup podium

Harmanpreet With Her Parents
Harmanpreet With Her Parents

“Ever since, as a kid, I started getting a sense of what likes and dislikes are, I’ve always seen a bat in my hand,” Harmanpreet said in a video released by the BCCI.

“I still remember we used to play with a bat from my dad’s kit bag. The bat was very big. One day, my dad cut an old bat (to make it small) for me. We used to play with it. Whenever we used to watch a match on TV, or watch India play, or watch the World Cup, I used to think, I need an opportunity like this. At that time, I didn’t even know about women’s cricket.”

What began as a childhood dream eventually culminated in lifting the coveted trophy — a journey marked by years of struggle, heartbreak, and belief.

‘It all shows you should never stop dreaming’

Harmanpreet 2
Harmanpreet

“I was dreaming, when will I wear this blue jersey? So I think this means a lot to me — a young girl who didn’t know about women’s cricket but still dreamed that one day, I want to bring that change in our country,” she said.

“It all shows that you should never stop dreaming. You never know where your destiny will take you. You never think, when will it happen, how will it happen. You only think, this will happen. So, I think, that was my self-belief — that this can be possible. And that exactly happened.”

‘Feeling relaxed, humbled, grateful to God’

The 36-year-old stalwart said the achievement has left her at peace.

“Personally, it’s a very emotional moment. Because it was my dream since childhood. Ever since I started playing, it was my dream to win the World Cup one day. If I get an opportunity to lead my team, I don’t want to miss this opportunity,” she said.

“So, I said all these things from the bottom of my heart. And God heard everything one by one. It’s like magic. I don’t understand how come suddenly everything is falling in place. Finally, we are world champions. I am feeling very relaxed, very humble, so grateful to God for giving this team what we have been dreaming of for so many years.”

Remembering 2017 heartbreak

Harmanpreet also looked back on the heartbreak of the 2017 final against England, where India fell just nine runs short.

“After the 2017 World Cup, when we came back, we were so heartbroken. We lost the game by 9 runs. We didn’t understand how that happened because that game was also fully in control,” she recalled.

“But after coming back, the kind of welcome and motivation we got from Indian fans, that shows that not only us, the entire country was waiting for women’s cricket to do something special for them.”

That 2017 squad, led by Mithali Raj, had current stars like Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, and Harmanpreet herself — players who would go on to script India’s golden moment years later.

‘We didn’t win alone — it was the entire nation’

“Everybody was waiting for this moment,” Harmanpreet added. “And I think it’s because of everyone’s blessings and prayers that we were able to cross that line. I don’t think we were alone playing in the stadium.

“Everybody — the entire stadium, people who were watching us on TV — everybody came together to win this. Because it wasn’t possible alone.”

(With PTI Inputs)