NAVI MUMBAI: For a change, it is the Indian women’s team which is under pressure to ‘arrange’ tickets for a home World Cup final. And aren’t they enjoying it!
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Quizzed on match eve before the hugely anticipated 2025 ODI World Cup final against South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium on Sunday night about she was dealing with the unusual surge in demand for tickets for the summit clash, Indian captain
Harmanpreet Kaur, sporting an infectious smile, quipped: “You know how it is… but there are rarely a few days when there's pressure for these small things. So I think it's good that not only cricket but there is pressure for tickets also.”
Having endured multiple heartbreaks in the past at the altar of glory, the Indian women's team is almost 'numb' to pain now, and want to experience joy.
This will be India's third appearance in a Women’s ODI World Cup final. They had lost on both the previous occasions -to Australia by 98 runs in the 1998 title clash and to England after suffering a bad collapse in the end by nine runs in the 2017 final at Lord's. India were also vanquished by Australia in the Commonwealth Games gold medal match to Australia in 2022 in Birmingham. India had lost the 2023 T20 World Cup semifinal to Australia by just five runs in South Africa, prompting Harmanpreet to tears at the post-match presentation ceremony, before she was consoled by former India women's team captain-turned commentator Anjum Chopra.
However, it was a confident Harman who spoke to the media on Saturday at the DY Patil Stadium. The Women-In-Blue know that that elusive Cup is now within their grasp.
“We know how it feels to lose. But we are looking forward to how it feels to win. Hopefully tomorrow is a special day for us. We have done a lot of hard work, and it's only about getting everything (done) tomorrow for the team. We have been talking about that whenever we have enjoyed and given our best, we always get positive results. It's a proud moment for me and the entire team, and I'm sure the entire country must be also proud the way we have played the last two games,” Harmanpreet said.
She said it was time for India to cross the finish line.
“We have prepared ourselves in the last two years to put ourselves in every condition. If such a situation comes up, what can we do? We have tried our best. Now it's only about everything coming together and helping the team to pass that line,” she outlined.
Sunday will herald a new WODI World Champion, with Australia, England and New Zealand having crashed out earlier. Welcoming the fact, Harman said, “It's nice to see two different teams (in the final), because we have seen for many years that Australia has been dominating in world cricket. England was also at the same stage. I am happy to see two different teams, because of that we can see more excitement. It is very special for us to reach the finals. Not only for us, but for Indian fans also, because they have been the biggest support for us” she said.
Harman asserted that the occasion of a final didn't need her to motivate the side. “When you are at a stage like a World Cup final, there cannot be any bigger motivation. The team is charged up, players are supporting each other and that shows they are together and how ready we are for this match. We knew long before that the World Cup was in India, and now it is about giving 100%.”
The Indian captain stressed that her team wasn't rattled despite three consecutive losses to Australia, South Africa and England in the league stage and still kept believing that they would make it to the final.
"We didn't shake up even once in the team because even though we lost three big losses, even after that everyone was together and we were all saying that we still have a great opportunity to reach the finals. That was a positive mindset that helped us reach here."
“We were definitely talking about what we wanted to improve, but at the same time, we were all looking at the same goal. This (reaching the final) is a long process, there are ups and downs. Some teams win, some lose. But at the end of the day, it's about how we reach the end,” she said.
Catch Lovlina Borgohain's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 5. Watch Here
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