New Delhi, Nov 4 (NationPress) Harmanpreet Kaur achieved her lifelong dream on Sunday night as she hoisted the Women’s World Cup trophy, leading India to a remarkable 52-run victory over South Africa in Navi Mumbai. After realizing her childhood goal, the Indian captain shared an inspiring message for the younger generation — “Never stop dreaming. You never know where your destiny will take you.”

In a video shared by the BCCI, Harmanpreet reminisced about how her cricket journey began as a child, using her father’s bat — which was far too large for her at the time. “From the moment I understood my likes and dislikes, I always had a bat in my hand. I remember playing with a bat from my dad’s kit. It was huge,” she recalled.

“One day, my dad modified an old bat to make it smaller for me. We would practice together. Whenever we watched matches on TV, I wished for the same opportunity. Back then, I wasn’t even aware of women’s cricket.”

For Harmanpreet, that dream transformed into a vision — not just to represent India but to inspire change in women’s cricket. “I used to dream about wearing this blue jersey. It means so much to me, as a young girl unaware of women’s cricket, yet dreaming of bringing change in our country,” she stated.

“It emphasizes that you should never stop dreaming. You never know how or when things will happen. You just have to believe that they will. That was my self-belief, and it came true.”

After nearly twenty years of anticipation, the 36-year-old captain expressed her overwhelming emotions and gratitude following the final. “This is a very emotional moment for me. Winning the World Cup has been my dream since childhood. If given the chance to lead my team, I wouldn’t let it slip away,” she remarked.

“I spoke from my heart, and it seems God heard each of my wishes. It feels magical, as if everything is falling perfectly into place. We are now world champions. I feel incredibly humble and grateful to God for this team we have dreamed about for years. We are living this moment.”

Harmanpreet also reflected on India’s near miss in the 2017 World Cup final, where they lost to England by just nine runs — a moment that, she said, fueled their recent success. “After the 2017 World Cup, we returned heartbroken, having lost by 9 runs. We couldn’t comprehend how it happened because we were in control,” she recalled.

“However, the reception and motivation we received from Indian fans showed that not only we, but the entire nation was eager for women’s cricket to achieve something remarkable.”

The 2017 squad, led by Mithali Raj, featured several senior players from the current team — including Harmanpreet, Smriti Mandhana, and Deepti Sharma. For Harmanpreet, the triumph in 2025 was a shared victory among past and present players and millions of supporters.

“Everyone was looking forward to this moment. It’s due to everyone’s blessings and prayers that we crossed that finish line. We weren’t alone in the stadium. Everyone — the entire crowd and those watching us on TV — came together for this victory. It was impossible without collective support.”