India women's cricket captain Smriti Mandhana says the most profound shift since the team's 2025 Women's ODI World Cup victory on home soil has been the newfound respect the sport commands — and the way its players have transformed into household names across the country. Speaking on 5 November 2026, Mandhana reflected on a year that changed the landscape of women's cricket in India.

A Changed Landscape for Women's Cricket

'Not a lot of things have changed in a way, but the respect women's cricket has got in the last one year after the World Cup, and to see people really being involved a lot more, I think that's something which has been a really pleasing change for me. To just see everyone kind of becoming a household name is a very pleasing sight,' Mandhana said in an interview with JioStar.

The sentiment captures a broader transformation in Indian sport — where women athletes, long overshadowed by the men's game, have increasingly commanded national attention. The 2025 Women's World Cup, hosted in India, appears to have been a genuine inflection point.

The Final Day: Rain, Fans and a Stirring Send-Off

Recalling the day of the World Cup final against South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, Mandhana described a scene that underscored how deeply fans had invested in the team's journey.

'A very good sight was that, even though it was raining, there were around 1,000 people outside our bus, outside the hotel, actually seeing us off. It was a very good sight for us, and it gave us a lot of positivity. Even in the rain, people were standing there, getting wet, but trying to give us all their best wishes,' she recalled.

That image — fans braving a downpour to cheer their team — has since become emblematic of the growing emotional connection between Indian audiences and women's cricket.

Shafali Verma on the Partnership That Needs No Words

Opener Shafali Verma, who was named Player of the Match in the World Cup final for her knock of 87 runs and picking up two wickets, spoke about her long-standing opening partnership with Mandhana and how it has evolved into something almost instinctive.

'I think in our partnership, it's just that we know each other very well, and we have been playing together since 2019. Nowadays, we even communicate through eye contact. So, we know how much to talk to each other in the middle, and we know what the team needs. We keep telling each other that as well. I think that reflects in our partnership and is good for the team,' Verma said.

The duo's seamless chemistry at the top of the order was widely credited as one of the key factors in India's World Cup campaign, providing stability and aggressive starts across the tournament.

What This Means Beyond the Boundary

The World Cup triumph has had ripple effects off the field as well. Viewership for women's cricket in India reportedly surged during the tournament, and several players have since secured high-profile endorsement deals. Notably, the visibility of this team has arrived at a time when Indian women's sport more broadly — from athletics to boxing to badminton — has been pushing for equal recognition.

As India's women cricketers continue to build on the momentum of their historic win, all eyes will be on whether the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and broadcasters can sustain and grow the audience base that the 2025 World Cup helped create.