Reflections of 2025: A historic Women’s World Cup win, frailty of Bazball exposed, Virat Kohli’s tears of joy

When Harmanpreet Kaur completed the catch to dismiss Nadine de Klerk off Deepti Sharma, it felt like time briefly stopped. For everyone watching the moment live from the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, it was surreal. For a split second, the entire crowd seemed frozen. Then came the realisation and an outburst of emotion. “A victory that will ignite a nation,” beamed Ian Bishop on the broadcast. India winning the Women’s World Cup, especially after three losses earlier in the tournament, is a moment that will be etched in memories. The celebrations that followed were even more special. Pratika Rawal, who had a heartbreaking injury and made way for Shafali Verma, joined her teammates in a wheelchair, even gingerly standing up on one leg to do a jig. Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami got to lift the trophy, one that eluded them on two previous occasions. Anjum Chopra, Diana Edulji and many other former cricketers were present to soak it all in. The players who walked so that Harmanpreet and Co could leap.