Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin made headlines with a bold remark after India’s historic maiden ICC Women’s ODI World Cup triumph on Sunday. He applauded Harmanpreet Kaur and her team for the heartfelt gesture, which he said “the men’s team has never done”.
Ashwin praised the women’s team celebrates its success by honoring the pioneers of Indian women’s cricket, Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami and Anjum Chopra. The legendary trio, part of the commentary team at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, were invited to join the champions in lifting the trophy, dancing and sharing tears of joy.
“How do you see this win for the Indian team? In 2016-17 when Harmanpreet Kaur played an incredible innings against Australia, then the heart came against England. Jhulan Goswami was a part of that World Cup. Mithali Raj was a part of that World Cup,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
“Even yesterday the Indian team handed over the trophy to Mithali Raj. Why did they do that? I actually take my hat off to the Indian women’s team for that. The Indian men’s team has never done anything like that,” he added.
Ashwin’s words stood out for their honesty and boldness. He said what few do, that while the men’s teams often talk about respecting their predecessors, the women’s team really showed it. No speeches or grand gestures, just genuine gratitude as they celebrated alongside the legends who paved the way for them.
“Sometimes we say things in front of the media because that’s the media trend that this person did this or that person did that. But I haven’t often seen anyone giving real credit to the previous generation,” Ashwin said.
“It usually becomes ‘my generation’s team is good’ and ‘your generation’s team wasn’t that great’. I’ve seen a lot of those discussions,” he added.
Jhulan Goswami’s tears of joy
The night became special for Jhulan Goswami, who finally got to the cradle of the World Cup trophy she had been chasing for her entire career. The veteran pacer, who will retire in 2022, could not hold back tears as Harmanpreet and her teammates handed her the silver, a moment that summed up years of effort, heartbreak and hope.
Maybe they don’t have patterns growing up? They had Jhulan goswami, Mithali raj and Anjum chopra which shows how little you follow and know about women’s cricket. pic.twitter.com/xfShO5DmGQ— Adi (@adi__speaks) November 3, 2025
Later, Jhulan revealed the emotional story behind those tears, her juniors’ midnight pledge that came to a close.
“You know what, before this World Cup they promised me, ‘We’ll do it for you,'” Jhulan said. “Last year they came to my room at midnight and said, ‘We don’t know if you’re going to be there next time, but we’re going to win it for you.’ And finally they did it. That’s what broke me down emotionally.’ Jhulan told Star Sports.
India’s triumph in Navi Mumbai capped almost two decades of misery, finally erasing the pain of losing finals in 2005 and 2017 and securing long-awaited World Cup glory for the women’s team.
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
November 4, 2025
