"Bigger Than Any Other World Cup We Have Won": Ravichandran Ashwin Triggers Big Debate

Former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has sparked a major debate after the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side lifted the Women's World Cup title for the first time on Sunday. After India beat South Africa by 52 runs in Navi Mumbai, Ashwin labelled their achievement even greater than the iconic 1983 and 2011 victories by the men's team. Recalling an incident from eight years ago, the 39-year-old insisted that Sunday's title win embodies how far women's cricket has come, in India.

Ashwin recalled that in 2017, the Hyderabad Gymkhana Stadium was packed to watch Ambati Rayudu in action, but only a few noticed the then captain of the Indian women's team Mithali Raj practising at the venue at the same time.

"Harmanpreet Kaur, from 2009 to the present, has set the ball rolling in many ways. Despite that, when he lost three games in the tournament, people raised questions about her captaincy. And I was surprised. To come from so far behind...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 practising at the same venue. And 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," said Ashwin.

Ashwin added that the 2025 triumph could pave the way for a cricket revolution in the country, as it might motivate young girls to take up the sport. He also suggested that India's victory will inspire many filmmakers, but urged them to move beyond the usual storytelling format.

"This is such a significant achievement that it can be adapted into a movie by directors and producers. But 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, and 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 with passionate sports storytelling, because this is a truly special story," he added.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team India Women Ravichandran Ashwin Women's ODI World Cup 2025 Cricket