Sunil Gavaskar heaped praise on the Indian team's incredible win in the Women's World Cup 2025 final, calling it one of the greatest moments in Indian cricket. India defeated South Africa by 52 runs to clinch their maiden World Cup title.
00:00Let's take you to our in-house cricket expert, a former World Cup winner, but someone who was a fan today in the stands.
00:08Mr. Sunil Gavaskar joins us live on India Today.
00:12Sahiba, firstly, talk to us as a fan.
00:14You know, you've been part of many cricketing triumphs as a player, as a commentator.
00:19Today, you are a fan.
00:21Talk to us as a fan, the emotions that you felt when the women have gone on to win a final and create history.
00:27Well, it was overwhelming.
00:29I'll tell you what, it was overwhelming.
00:31You know, the feeling of joy was overwhelming because, you know, our girls have really worked hard.
00:37They have been under so much pressure over the years because they have gone in too early a final and they have not been able to, you know, cross the line.
00:47And this time around, they did it and they did it in style.
00:51Winning by more than 50 runs tells you that it's a very, very comprehensive win.
00:56It's not a close win.
00:57This was a team that had beaten them in one of the league encounters.
01:02But the Indian team, you know, didn't even think about that.
01:05They put it behind them and they came and won a famous win.
01:10And it's a win for the ages.
01:13It's a win which will rank amongst one of the greatest in the history of Indian cricket.
01:18The semi-final win against Australia and this win here against the South Africans has been absolutely terrific.
01:26Great, great to watch because the cricket's been outstanding as well.
01:30Yes, sometimes the fielding, some of the catching could have been better.
01:33But hey, we have won.
01:34So, what?
01:35It doesn't matter.
01:36You know, the odd catch has gone down.
01:38And that's the thing.
01:39And so, cheers with water.
01:40So, I mean, you know, that is high praise indeed.
01:46As you say, one of the greatest wins, not just in women's cricket, in cricket in general, when you look at the history of Indian cricket.
01:53You know, the one thing that has been spoken about, we were hearing from a lot of fans and they said, this is the 83 moment of women's cricket.
02:01Who better to ask this question to, but the winner from 1983 in Sunny Gavaskar.
02:06That actually changed the face of men's cricket, many believe.
02:10Is this the 83 moment of the women's cricket game here in India too?
02:16In terms of, yeah, in terms of winning a World Cup, yes, it is.
02:21But I think women's cricket in India has been on the upswing for quite a while.
02:28You know, look, the 1983 team that won in, I mean, the team that won in 1983 got to the final for the first time.
02:35The Indian women's team has got to the final in 2005, 2017.
02:40So, the Indian cricket, the women's cricket team has been on the upswing.
02:43Yes, they have only stumbled at the final hurdle, sometimes in the semi-finals, but twice in the final hurdle.
02:50So, they have been on the upswing.
02:52But what I think has made a big difference is the way in the last few years, last maybe four or five years,
03:00they have been made to feel that they are not amongst the best, but the best.
03:07Look at the way their match fees have been made to be on par with the men's team, the WPL,
03:16where the auction has meant some of our girls have got lots of money.
03:21And the way, you know, I mean, the PCCI has played a huge role.
03:25They have organised overseas tours for them.
03:27You can see that.
03:28They have organised bilateral series.
03:30They organised, you know, our 50-overs games.
03:36They organised junior tournaments.
03:38So, while we all have to, you know, congratulate the girls,
03:44we definitely mustn't forget the role that the PCCI has played in encouraging the women to go out and give their best.
03:52So, that's a very good summation of what has really happened in the last few years to have brought the team here.
03:58And that is a macro look, you know, to bring the team where it is at the moment.
04:02But if I was going to ask you to look at it in a more micro manner in this tournament per se,
04:08what a journey you'd say for this team because this is a team that was almost at the verge of being knocked out of the tournament.
04:15Three losses in a row.
04:17They probably were on the verge of not even making to the semis.
04:20Had a do or die game.
04:21From there, they win that do or die game, then win a semi-final, final.
04:25What really changed with this team from a not-so-great start to becoming world champions in this tournament?
04:31I think it was strength of character because, look, they lost two or three matches which they should have won.
04:37And so, when a team, you know, loses matches, you know, basically snatching defeat from the jaws of victory,
04:44then, you know, sometimes it can be pretty demoralising.
04:47But you have to give credit to the support staff as well.
04:50Look at the way the support staff have backed it.
04:53In the semis, for example, against Australia, Armand Preeta was at the crease.
04:59So, there was nobody really to take a call.
05:02But it was the support staff that set Dipti up the order.
05:06Then they sent Richa up the order to take the pressure of Jemima.
05:09So, little, little things like that which sometimes are not noticed.
05:13But the support staff, Amol Bozumdar and his colleagues in the support group, they certainly have had a huge role to play as well.
05:21Because, you know, when teams lose some of the matches, sometimes, you know, unless there is a big sort of boost from the support staff,
05:31they tend to get demoralised.
05:33So, this hasn't happened this time around.
05:36So, I think the strength of character that the team showed in coming back from those defeats
05:40and then getting past that big total that Australia put up, that has been the big difference.
05:46So, now I'm going to talk to you about the final, specifics of the final.
05:51Let's start with the turning point of this final.
05:54Where do you think this final turned?
05:56Do you think it was that run-out of Brits, the opening partnership of South Africa?
06:01It was looking like they'll cruise, but that run-out happens against the run-off play.
06:05Amun Jodh directed that.
06:06Or do you think it was the Laura Woldart wicket towards the end.
06:10Dipti gets that wicket.
06:11I think Amun Jodh once again takes that catch towards the end.
06:14Where do you think the game really turned?
06:16Where do you think South Africa allowed India a foot into the door?
06:21I think the run-out.
06:22The opening partnership run-out.
06:24Because the opening partnership after a watchful start, watchful couple of hours,
06:29was really blooming.
06:30It was looking really good.
06:32And Woldart, the way she's batted in the semis as well as in the final getting hundreds,
06:38certainly meant that, you know, a wicket was necessary at that stage.
06:42And the run-out changed it completely.
06:46Because suddenly, Woldart also got stuck in a groove.
06:49She wasn't quite able to hit the boundaries which she was hitting earlier.
06:53And therefore, a few overs were lost.
06:55And when a few overs are lost, suddenly the asking rate goes up.
06:58And that is what happened.
06:59And yes, I think Woldart's wicket towards the end.
07:02But still, there were a lot of runs required at that stage.
07:06And she was tired.
07:08You score 100, you do get a bit tired.
07:11And after you score 100, there is always that little, you know, lapse in concentration.
07:17People just savouring the moment.
07:19And, you know, the focus that is there, you know, can waver just that little bit.
07:23And in that process, the delivery that Dipti had worked a little bit slower.
07:29So, in fact, the batter had to make a lot more effort.
07:34And she wasn't quite able to make that connection.
07:36And a good catch taken in the team.
07:38A little bit up and down catch, you know, a little in the centre, it bounced.
07:43But in the end, the catch was taken.
07:45And that was the final nail in the coffin as far as the South Africans were concerned.
07:51So, officially, the player of the match has been announced.
07:53But I want to know Sonny Gavaskar's player of the match.
07:57Because I was scratching my head.
07:58And it was such a tough choice.
08:00There's Dipti that got 58 and has picked up 5 wickets, a 5-4.
08:05She's become the first player in the history of a women's World Cup final to get a 50.
08:10And also pick up more than 4 wickets.
08:11She's got a 5-4.
08:12And then you have Shefali with 87 and picking up a couple of wickets.
08:16Who is Sunil Gavaskar's player of the match?
08:20You can't argue with a 5-wicket all in a 50-overs game.
08:23Or in a limited-overs game, you cannot argue, you know, with a 5-wicket all.
08:28And then to cap it, you've got a half-century as well.
08:32So, yes, I think though Shefali ran her close with those two wickets and a superb 87,
08:39I do think, you know, at the end of the day,
08:43it was a correct decision to give Dipti the player of the match.
08:48Sahema, you're talking about Dipti.
08:49What a tournament she's had.
08:51She's also been declared as the player of the tournament.
08:53I'm not surprised.
08:54She's got valuable runs.
08:56I'm looking at the tally of most wickets.
08:58She's head and shoulders above everyone else.
09:00The only one with 20-plus wickets.
09:03The closest is a good 7-8 wickets behind her.
09:05What a tournament for the all-rounder.
09:08Yes, absolutely.
09:10No surprise there at all.
09:11I think she's taken about 22 or 23 wickets.
09:14Yes.
09:14I don't think anybody's even close to Dipti as far as the number of wickets are concerned.
09:19Also, I think she's got a couple of 50s at crucial times.
09:25The 30 that she got the other day against the Australians.
09:29That was also crucial because that was the time that Jimmy was tiring a little bit.
09:34And so she took, you know, she, Jimmy has gone on record as saying to Dipti Sharma, please you take care of me.
09:43I'm feeling just a little bit tired.
09:44She was in around the mid-80s or the other.
09:47And I think so, that partnership, this tells you about this team spirit in this Indian team.
09:53That both, I mean, they were playing not just for themselves, but they were playing for each other.
09:58They were playing for the country and they were playing for the team.
10:01That was fantastic to see.
10:04And finally, Sanivai, you know, the contribution of Shefali, you alluded to that.
10:10But the contribution we saw with the bat and the ball, what we didn't see was the fact that someone had the courage to bring Shefali cold into the tournament
10:20and then put us straight to play a semi-final and then the final.
10:23And then Harmanpreet Kaur has that ability in a big final to throw the ball to a Shefali.
10:30And from there on, she picks those crucial wickets.
10:32I mean, those calls as well wouldn't have been easy for a captain and a coach to take.
10:36You know, there is so much noise going on around here.
10:42But I didn't even hear your question.
10:45But I just want to say that, you know, you just have to be here to see the emotion over here, to see, you know, the joy.
10:54I don't know whether I told you that, you know, Harmanpreet's parents and brother are in the same lounge over here.
11:00They are, you know, over the moon as everybody here at the ground.
11:04And I'm sure those watching in the ground as well as all over, all those who love Indian cricket must be over the moon for this fantastic win.
11:14And you can see now that the players are all going on to the stage to receive their individual medals, there is so much noise here.
11:22So you'll have to excuse me.
11:23See, you can't hear.
11:26I'm also trying to lean back and see on television.
11:29I can't see them down, but I'm trying to lean back and see what it is.
11:33And there she goes, the captain getting the medal, the winner's medal from the BCCI honorary secretary, Mr. Devajit Saitya.
11:45And now she hasn't as yet got the trophy.
11:48But I think that'll be something that I'm looking forward to see.
11:53She's going to talk to the anchor over there.
11:58Saibai, we'll leave you.
11:59I'll take a final question before we leave you.
12:01One final question.
12:02I know you want to see the trophy presentation.
12:05Tell us, do you think when these girls wake up tomorrow morning, life would have changed?
12:10They're going to become household names.
12:11You and I follow cricket.
12:12We know.
12:13But the entire nation is going to know them.
12:15How is life going to change for them?
12:17Oh, absolutely.
12:18They're going to be household names.
12:19They already are household names.
12:21Maybe not everybody.
12:22But I think definitely everybody now is going to be household names.
12:26And you know what?
12:27When you wake up in the morning, you wake up with that unbelievable feeling.
12:32You know, which is what?
12:34We are the world champions.
12:37That is how we felt way back in 1983.
12:40On the 26th of June.
12:42We won on the 25th of June.
12:45On the 26th of June, 1983.
12:48When we woke up, we all felt, you know, that not only felt, we were the world champions.
12:55And somebody like me, five foot nothing, felt I was seven foot tall.
13:01So, that is the feeling that these girls are going to have tomorrow.
13:04That they are the world champions.
13:07All right, Sahiva.
13:08That's brilliantly summed up.
13:09The only difference is, you won on 25th.
13:12You have that feeling on 26th.
13:14The girls will be receiving their trophy on the 3rd.
13:16They'll wake up on the 3rd and feel exactly the same on the 3rd of November.
13:20But thank you so much for taking our time.
13:23Yes, I just want to tell you.
13:25Did you notice that Harmanpreet, what Harmanpreet did when she took that catch?
13:30She put the ball in her pocket like somebody did in 1983.
13:35Yes.
13:35And kept that ball.
13:37And I hope she's going to take all the autographs of all her teammates.
13:40Maybe if there is space left, take the South African, you know.
13:44And that is going to be probably the greatest memento that she will cherish when she puts her feet up.
13:52After having served Indian cricket.
13:55For at least another 5 or 6 years more.
14:00Okay, Sahiva.
14:01Thank you so much.
14:02Harmanpreet caught there doing a sunny Gavaskar.
14:05Pocketing the ball of the final as Mr. Gavaskar had done in 1983.
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