Harmanpreet Kaur shares a subtle but powerful message on social media

After the historic World Cup win of the Indian women’s cricket team, the Indian captain joined the global ‘morning-after’ post-win trend.

The Indian women’s cricket team won the World Cup 2025 on Sunday, defeating South Africa in the finals held at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium. A day after the historic win, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur shared a subtle yet powerful message on social media.

Harmanpreet Kaur shares a powerful message on social media after World Cup win.

She wore a t-shirt that stole the spotlight. It had a text written that read, “Cricket is a gentleman’s EVERYONE’S game,” with the word ‘gentleman’s’ was struck out. Cricketer PunamRaut couldn’t agree more. Raut was at the forefront of the 2017 ODI World Cup final against England. The then-opener scored a fearless 86 off 115 balls but couldn’t take India past the finish line, as they fell agonisingly short by just nine runs.

PunamRaut recalls the criticism the women’s team faced after defeat in the 2017 World Cup.

Speaking with The Times of India, PunamRaut recalled the criticism they faced after losing the 2017 World Cup. She recalled how the public said, “Tumnekyakarliya? Kabhikuchjeetahai? Tum ladkiyankyakarsaktiho? Ladkiyan cricket khelsaktihainkya?” (What have you ever achieved? Have you ever won anything? What can girls even do? Can girls really play cricket?) She now feels that the World Cup win couldn’t have been a more fitting reply to all those who once mocked women’s cricket. Raut said, “I am very happy and emotional. I couldn’t control my tears. Many, many congratulations to this team. We have proved it, the answer has been conveyed. When I started playing cricket, I experienced bullying. I was bullied by boys. I told them I knew how to play cricket, but they mocked me. They said girls can’t play cricket. I didn’t like what they said. I was young, I was angry, but I couldn’t express it at that time. When they said that, it hit me badly.” She added, “How can they say that? That’s what I always asked myself. After that, we decided, one day, the whole world will know that girls can also play cricket. And somewhere, Harmanpreet Kaur must have experienced the same. I remember we both debuted in the same World Cup in 2009. We had the same journey, the same age. I am sure Harmanpreet must have gone through the same experiences. That’s why she wrote, ‘It’s not only a gentleman’s game. It’s everyone’s game.’”

Raut further said, “What Harmanpreet said, she was right. It was the goal of the team. Even in 2017, we played for that for all those girls whose parents were restricting them. It is very important to change that mindset. And when a World Cup stage comes in front of you, that’s the opportunity to do something. She is right, and she has brought a big change in Indian women’s cricket.” She concluded, “The last time we lost the trophy by nine runs. That is a wound that hasn’t healed yet. We should have scored those nine runs. It was going on in my mind for a long time. But Harmanpreet has done it. That bad memory has finally faded away. That defeat haunted me and all of us for nine years.”