The historic success of the India Women's cricket team in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 is set to have a massive impact on Indian women's cricket. Recently, one of the heroes of the recently concluded Women's Cricket World Cup-winning team has been promised a cricket stadium to be named in her honour.

Richa Ghosh was crucial name for India Women's success in ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025

The 22-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh played a huge role in helping the hosts to win their historic first ICC trophy, the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025. She scored 235 runs in eight innings with an average of 39.16 and a strike rate of 133.52. She played some furious knocks in the entire tournament, and finished with the highest strike-rate in the tournament (among the batters who faced at least 20 balls in the tournament).

Apart from lots of awards, Richa Ghosh has been honoured in her state, West Bengal, as she has been honoured with "Banga Bhushan", DSP (Deputy Superintendent of Police) post, a gold chain, along with the award of INR 34 lakhs, honouring her crucial knock of 34 off 24 balls against South Africa Women in the Final. 

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It should be named the Richa Cricket Stadium: Mamata Banerjee

Moreover, the West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjere has also announced to make a cricket stadium in Darjeeling, which should be named the Richa Cricket Stadium.  

Mamata Banerjee said, “Richa became a world champion at just 22. On behalf of the West Bengal government, we honoured her, but I want to do more. There’s about 27 acres of land in Darjeeling, and I’ve asked the mayor to plan a cricket stadium there. It should be named the Richa Cricket Stadium so that people remember her performance in the future and are inspired by it.”

Not only in the Final of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025, Richa Ghosh, made several marks in the entire tournament, especially with her batting. In the league stage match against South Africa Women, when India Women were struggling, Richa produced her career best knock of 94 runs off 77 balls with the help of 11 fours and four sixes.  

On Friday (November 7), Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis met ICC Women's World Cup 2025 winning team India cricketers Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Radha Yadav at the CM's official residence, 'Varsha,' in south Mumbai. Fadnavis marked the trio the "Pride of Maharashtra." He also thanked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Jay Shah for his effort to take Indian women's cricket into an advanced stage. 

Along with these three cricketers, the state government has acknowledged the contributions from the head coach of the team and the support staff as well. CM Fadnavis presented a cash reward of Rs 2.25 crore each for Mandhana, Rodrigues, and Yadav. The cricket team's coach, Amol Muzumdar, was presented with a check of Rs 22.5 lakh, while each member of the support staff was given Rs 11 lakh. Fadnavis mentioned that this achievement came because of a collective effort. He especially mentioned the match-turning batting of Jemimah Rodrigues in the semifinal against Australia. 

"You've made Maharashtra proud. Your victory has brought immense joy to the state. Jemimah's century in the semifinal was a turning point; it took us to the finals. The way this team fought back and played like a family shows what true teamwork means," the Maharashtra CM said. 

Read More: WATCH: Women's World Cup 2025 winning Richa Ghosh receives grand welcome in home town Siliguri

Maharashtra CM felicitated Women's World Cup 2025 winning memebers

"The world has taken note of the fact that the World Cup, which traditionally went to a select group of countries, has for the first time come to India. It is a matter of immense pride. The entire team has performed brilliantly."

Maharashtra CM felicitating Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah and Radha while handing over the 2.25cr cheque. 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/3aj17SQNtR

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) November 7, 2025

In the final, India went to bat first and scored 298 runs in exchange for 7 wickets. In the second innings, South Africa started the run chase well with Tazmin Brits and their skipper, Laura Wolvaardt. After the first wicket down, Laura appeared as their only hope to win the final. She smashed 101 runs. But a solo effort was not enough to win the summit clash. The India Women's Cricket Team won the World Cup for the first time in the history of cricket.

ICC Women's World Cup 2025 winning team India star Richa Ghosh arrived at her hometown, Siliguri, West Bengal, with a grand welcome on Friday (November 7). 

Richa Ghosh, the wicketkeeper-batter, was a constant and key figure behind India's maiden World Cup-winning campaign. She played a crucial 34-run knock in the final against the South Africa Women's team. But Richa's best batting performance came out during the India Women vs. South Africa Women group stage match at Visakhapatnam. In that match, she scored 94 runs against 77 deliveries, with the help of 11 boundaries and 4 over boundaries. Though, South Africa was the better performer than India for that encounter. 

A day ago, when the India Women's Cricket Team went to the Prime Minister's residence to meet with PM Narendra Modi, Richa got an appraisal from the Prime Minister himself. During the conversation with the team members, PM Modi said to Ghosh, "Richa, you win every game you play, don’t you? Richa gets a chance everywhere." 

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Richa Ghosh received grand welcome in Siliguri, her home town

#WATCH | West Bengal: Cricketer Richa Ghosh returned to her home in Siliguri today, amid a grand welcome. She is a part of the World Cup-winning Indian Women's team. pic.twitter.com/o0YjHF6JRX

— ANI (@ANI) November 7, 2025

In reply she said, "Don’t know, sir. But yes, when we were under-19s, seniors, and in the WPL, we used to win trophies."

In the final, India went to bat first and scored 298 runs in exchange for 7 wickets. In the second innings, South Africa started the run chase well with Tazmin Brits and their skipper, Laura Wolvaardt. After the first wicket down, Laura appeared as their only hope to win the final. She smashed 101 runs. But a solo effort was not enough to win the summit clash. The India Women's Cricket Team won the World Cup for the first time in the history of cricket. 

PM Narendra Modi and all the Women's World Cup 2025 winning team India players were surprised to hear a question from all-rounder Harleen Deol. It was a candid question from Deol, which left everyone in laughter.

On Wednesday, November 5, the India Women's Cricket Team visited the PM's residence to meet with him after creating history in Navi Mumbai. India defeated South Africa Women's to lift the World Cup for the first time ever. During the group conversation, Deol asked the prime minister about his skincare routine.

"Mujhe aapki skincare routine puchni thi, aap bahut glow karte ho sir (I wanted to ask you about your skincare routine, sir—you really have a glow)," Harleen said. This single question caused everyone to laugh, including PM Modi himself. In reply, PM said that he had never thought about this matter before. This glow can be because of the love he received from countless people around the world.

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Harleen Deol's question left everyone in surprise including PM Modi

"Haven’t really paid much attention to this topic, but this glow comes from the love and blessings of millions of people; that’s true. It’s a great source of strength. I’ve been the head of the government for 25 years now; that’s a long time. But when you receive so many blessings, it shows," Modi replied after a brief spell of laughter. 

Harleen Deol asking the skincare routine of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 😄 pic.twitter.com/sFmFzDEmXb

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) November 6, 2025

India's road to winning the World Cup was not smooth. They started their campaign by winning back-to-back matches but soon lost the momentum and got defeated in multiple matches. They bounced back strongly by playing New Zealand Women's in their group stage match. After the group stage hurdle, for India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, there was no turning back. In the semifinal, they edged past Australia in a heroic manner, thanks to a century from Jemimah Rodrigues. And then, finally, India became the champion. 

Indian cricket fans are still relishing the historic moment of India's Women's World Cup 2025 win, defeating South Africa Women's in the final match of the tournament. Cricket fans congratulated the entire team for achieving the incredible feat. Did Dhanashree Verma watch the IND-W vs. SA-W Women's World Cup Final match? Paparazzi asked the question to the well-known choreographer and actress of the industry. 

In reply, what Dhanashree said was probably not what anyone was expecting. Correcting the question, she said, "Kal nahin, parso tha (Not yesterday, it was the day before)." The reply from Varma was in a funny way, though. 

During the historic moment when Team India outclassed South Africa in Navi Mumbai, Varma shared a post on her Instagram handle to celebrate India's victory in the final. She posted a video of the winning moment while watching the game. The caption of her post reads, "To the queens, womennnnnnnnnn #India ICC world champions #WomenInBlue," she captioned the post.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by F I L M Y G Y A N (@filmygyan)

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India's road to lift the Women's World Cup 2025 trophy in brief: 

India began their campaign with back-to-back wins in the group stage. But after getting victories against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, the Women in Blue brigade lost their momentum and tasted three consecutive defeats against South Africa, Australia, and England. They then bounced back with a crucial 53-run win against New Zealand and confirmed a ticket to the semi-final.

In the semi, Harmanpreet Kaur and her team met again with Australia. Australia, batting first, posted a massive total of 338 on the board. In reply, Jemimah Rodrigues smashed a match-winning, unbeaten hundred-plus-run innings to chase down the target. Kaur also accompanied her well during the middle overs of the game. In the final, India with ease defeated South Africa and claimed their maiden World Cup trophy. 

It was a dream-come-true moment for the India Women's cricket team when they defeated South Africa Women's to lift the ICC Women's World Cup 2025. Jemimah Rodrigues played a very crucial role behind India's glory. Before the final match, India had to overcome a strong hurdle set by the multi-time champion Australia Women's team. 

Against a team that has experience in winning multiple trophies, it was not an easy task for Team India to outclass them. In a recent interview, the father of Jemimah Rodrigues revealed how MS Dhoni's influence helped for preparations before the tournament. Her father, Ivan Rodrigues, is an MS Dhoni fan. 

Ivan is still mesmerized by Dhoni's calmness and ability to make courageous decisions during crucial stages of matches. How was Dhoni able to take those match-turning decisions? How was the Indian women's team able to defeat Australia in the final? 'Mentality,' that's what Jemimah's father said during the interview. For mental preparations, Ivan told her daughter to study MS Dhoni. 

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MS Dhoni's influence behind the World Cup 2025 preparations of Jemimah Rodrigues

"To take down seven-time champions like Australia, you need the attitude of someone like MS Dhoni. That's exactly what I told her before she faced the Aussies. Dhoni revolutionized Indian cricket with his attitude, approach, willpower, and captaincy skills. If you have that kind of mindset, you can conquer any tournament," Jemimah Rodrigues' father said on camera. 

Jemimah Rodrigues' Father 🎙

To take down seven-time champions like Australia, you need the attitude of someone like MS Dhoni. That's exactly what I told her before she faced the Aussies. Dhoni revolutionized Indian cricket with his attitude, approach, willpower, and captaincy… pic.twitter.com/YeGMFLBOU0

— ` (@WorshipDhoni) November 5, 2025

For exceptional batting, the ICC included Jemimah in the honorary playing XI of the Women's World Cup 2025. During the semi-final, when India was up against Australia, the middle-order batter scored an unbeaten 127-run innings to successfully chase down a mammoth target of 339. Without that particular knock, India Women could be struck in deep trouble. 

The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the combined Playing XI with a standby cricketer after the conclusion of the Women's World Cup 2025. From the two finalists—the India Women's cricket team and the South Africa Women's cricket team—the ICC picked up a total of 6 players for the best eleven.

From India, it is Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Deepti Sharma who are named for the specially mentioned playing combination. While from the runner-up team, Laura Wolvaardt, Marizanne Kapp, and Nadine de Klerk are able to make the final cut. Wolvaardt, the skipper of South Africa's women's team, was also named as the skipper for the best team of the 2025 World Cup. Annabel Sutherland, Ash Gardner, and leg-spinner Alana King feature from the Australian team that reached the semi-finals.

From the England cricket team, Sophie Ecclestone is in the team, and her compatriot Nat Sciver-Brunt is named as the 12th player. For the wicketkeeping role, Pakistan's Sidra Nawaz was named in a side. Surprisingly, team India captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who led the team to the glory, is not mentioned in the honorary team. 

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Deepti Sharma emerged as India’s most valuable player and also the player of the tournament. In the tournament, she secured 215 runs, including a century, and claimed a total of 22 wickets at an average of 20.40. That match-winning unbeaten century from Jemimah Rodrigues in the semifinal against Australia was an unforgettable moment for Indian cricket. The Indian middle order scored 292 runs at an average of 58.40. And Smriti Mandhana, one of the most constant run scorers for the team in the tournament, notched up 434 runs at an average of 54.25, including a century and two fifties. 

The ICC Women’s World Cup Team of the Tournament: 

Smriti Mandhana (India), Laura Wolvaardt (c) (South Africa), Jemimah Rodrigues (India), Marizanne Kapp (South Africa), Ash Gardner (Australia), Deepti Sharma (India), Annabel Sutherland (Australia), Nadine de Klerk (South Africa), Sidra Nawaz (wk) (Pakistan), Alana King (Australia), Sophie Ecclestone (England), Nat Sciver-Brunt (England). 

The Women's World Cup 2025 triumph is not only a result of the collective effort from the present team India players but also a reflection of the contributions made by the legends of the game. Without the dedication, perseverance, and resilience from some of the former India women's cricketers, Team India could not have won the World Cup in 2025. Behind the historic feats, there are multiple creators who dared to dream big. Through this article, we will try to find out 5 legends of Indian women's cricket, without whom the current scenario could be different. 

Diana Edulji: 

When cricket was limited for girls across the nation, Diana Edulji was the person who inspired the girls to take part in the game. From a young cricketer to becoming a part of the cricket administration, her journey is no less than an epic. She was known for her fierce spin bowling abilities and played for India from 1976 to 1993, a career of three long decades. The slow left-arm orthodox appeared in 20 Test matches and 34 One Day Internationals for India. In the longest format of the game, she amassed 404 runs and claimed 63 wickets at an impressive average of 25.77. And in ODIs, Edulji got 46 wickets, maintaining a remarkable bowling average of 16.84, and scored 2011 runs as well. It was her dream to see the Indian Women's Cricket Team with the World Cup in hand. Harmanpreet Kaur-led India made her dream true.

"I just have no words to explain. This is the proudest moment of my life. 50 years of my being on the cricket field as a player and an administrator. I am just absolutely thrilled… that star on the jersey, it’s now come true, and it’s a proud moment for me," the stalwart said. 

Neetu David:

Inspired by Diana Edulji, Neetu David dared to dream as a cricketer at the highest level of the game. The former India spinner, who is now the BCCI women’s selection committee chairperson, was a key figure behind India's 2005 World Cup run to the final, where they ended their campaign as the second-best team of the tournament. David was the highest wicket-taker in the 2005 Women’s World Cup with 20 wickets. Apart from the World Cup record, another feat of Edulji, to date, remains unmatched. She holds the best bowling figures in women’s Tests with 8/53 against England.

Read More: WATCH: Only Rs 1000 per match! Mithali Raj shocking revelation after World Cup 2025 Final

Anjum Chopra:

Like Neetu David, Anjum Chopra was also an integral part of the 2005 World Cup team India. She was the first Indian women's cricketer to play 100 ODIs. Throughout her illustrious career, the former batter featured in 127 ODIs, 12 Tests, 18 T20s, and 4 World Cups. For exceptional batting qualities and dedication to the game, Chopra was honored with the Arjuna Award (2007) and Padma Shri (2014) and also received the ICC Player of the Match title thrice. After retiring from professional cricket, she emerged as one of the most influential characters in Indian women's cricket. 

Mithali Raj:

The former India captain, under whose leadership stars of the present team like Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Deepti Sharma cemented their positions in the international cricket arena. Raj led Team India in multiple World Cups but was not fortunate enough to claim the title. Mithali Raj, probably the first superstar of Indian women's cricket, represented India 333 times across formats to score 10,868 runs. 

Jhulan Goswami: 

The legendary figure of Indian cricket inspired multiple generations through his unmatched pace bowling skills and leadership skills. The Padma Shri awardee was the first ever Indian woman to take 200 wickets in ODIs. Goswami played over 200 ODIs and more than 70 Test matches for India. She was honored with the ICC Women’s Player of the Year award in 2007.

The India Women's cricket team receives crores of rupees as prize money from both the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for winning the World Cup 2025, defeating the South Africa Women's team in the final of the tournament. As the winner, Team India received approx. Rs 39.55 crore from ICC, in addition to another huge amount of money from BCCI.

In a press release, BCCI informed, "To honor this unprecedented success, the BCCI has announced a cash reward of INR 51 crore for the players, support staff, and selection committee in recognition of their remarkable performance, dedication, and contribution to the nation's sporting glory."

Now, from the game, men or women, any cricketer can fetch a handsome amount of money. But the situation was not the same two decades ago. In a recent interview, former India skipper Mithali Raj made some shocking comments. She claimed that, during the 2005 World Cup, when the India Women's team became the runners-up, they received only Rs 1,000 per match. As they played 8 matches in the tournament, they got only Rs 8,000.

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Mithali Raj made shocking revelation when they played the 2005 World Cup

It was a shocking revelation; no one could imagine that massive gap between the two decades in Indian women's cricket. "When we became runners-up of the 2005 Women’s World Cup, we got just ₹8,000 for the entire tournament, ₹1,000 per match," Mithali Raj said.  

Mithali Raj: “When we became runners up of the 2005 Women’s World Cup we got just ₹8,000 for the entire tournament ₹1,000 per match.”

These women cricketers have struggled a lot man. Thanks to Jay Shah because of him, women cricketers now get equal pay to men. pic.twitter.com/GuPnTBDW2w

— ADITYA (@Wxtreme10) November 3, 2025

In the final of the Women's World Cup 2005, India was up against Australia; Mithali Raj was then the captain. It was a low-scoring match. The Australia Women's team went to bat first in the first innings and scored only 215 runs in exchange for 4 wickets. India faced a batting disaster when they went to chase the target. They managed to score only 117 runs before losing all of their scalps; the Australia Women's team lifted the World Cup 2005 trophy.

From a promising, uncapped cricketer to lifting the World Cup as the head coach, Amol Muzumdar's career was full of uncertainty. During a live conversation with W. V. Raman, Muzumdar reveals how he reformed his thinking, working method, and all to become successful in his career. 

It was a live chat conversation between W. V. Raman, another big name in the Indian cricket coaching sector, and Amol Muzumdar, under whose coaching the India Women's cricket team won the ICC Women's World Cup 2025, defeating the South Africa Women's cricket team. The World Cup-winning head coach, during the live interaction, without any hesitation acknowledged that it was Raman who helped him to shape his career. 

Raman himself shared the part of the video where the viewers can hear Muzumdar mentioning an old conversation between them. From that conversation with W. V. Raman, Muzumdar explored a new way of thought process as a coach, which ultimately resulted in winning the World Cup with the India Women's cricket team. 

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Amol Muzumdar highlights the turning point of his career 

"A conversation with Amol Muzumdar at the NCA a few years ago resulted in a few changes. I am glad I initiated that chat. Couldn't be happier for the latest WC-winning coach. Another chance for you "Muzum" next summer in England," the caption of the video, shared by W V Raman, reads. 

A conversation with @amolmuzumdar11 at the NCA a few years ago resulted in a few changes. I am glad I initiated that chat.
Couldn't be happier for the latest WC winning coach. Another chance for you "Muzum" 😀😀 next summer in England.
Click on the link 👇to listen to it. pic.twitter.com/7zMLzZHT9v

— WV Raman (@wvraman) November 3, 2025

Amol Muzumdar, in his early days on the cricket field, used to be a top-class batter. In his debut Ranji Trophy match, he scored a double hundred. Apart from Mumbai, he was associated with multiple other states in domestic cricket. Despite performing well with the bat, he never got the opportunity to play for Team India. It was the time when players like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and Virendra Sehwag had already made their place permanent in Team India. After retiring from his career as a professional cricketer, Muzumdar relaunched his career as a coach and gained success gradually. Now, his name is encrypted in the pages of the history book.