The story of India’s first-ever Women’s World Cup victory found the ending it truly deserved.
At the DY Patil Stadium, before 45,000 roaring fans, India outclassed South Africa by 52 runs to lift the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup, a moment long in waiting. The Women in Blue had finally delivered their own 1983, ending decades of heartbreak and near-misses.
Yet beyond the roar of the crowd and the glitter of the trophy, this victory also carried a quieter story, one of classrooms, coaching fields, and the educational journeys that shaped three of India’s brightest cricketers: Harmanpreet Kaur , Jemimah Rodrigues , and Shafali Verma .
Harmanpreet Kaur: From Moga’s classrooms to captain’s glory
Born in Moga, Punjab, Harmanpreet Kaur’s path to the top was built on grit more than glamour. Her father, Harmandar Singh Bhullar, once an aspiring cricketer himself, became her first coach. She trained at Gian Jyoti School Academy, nearly 30 kilometres from home, learning the game with men long before the idea of women’s professional cricket had matured in India.
Harmanpreet moved to Mumbai in 2014, taking up a role with Indian Railways, one of the few steady options for women athletes then. She has been reported to hold a Bachelor of Arts degree, with early education linked to Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya College under Guru Nanak Dev University in Jalandhar.
Jemimah Rodrigues: The Mumbai all-rounder who learnt balance early
For Jemimah Rodrigues, the journey began in the lanes of Bandra, Mumbai. Her father, Ivan Rodrigues, a school coach, ensured sport was a part of learning, not apart from it. At St. Joseph’s Convent High School, Jemimah split her days between hockey fields and cricket nets.
Later, at Rizvi College of Arts, Science and Commerce, she continued to balance academics with early domestic tournaments. Her education reflected a city’s rhythm, competitive yet nurturing. That balance now defines her batting: calm under pressure, measured, and precise.
Shafali Verma: From Rohtak’s school grounds to the world stage
Shafali Verma’s story is one of courage and unconventional education. In Rohtak, she once disguised herself as her brother to gain admission into a boys’ cricket academy. The young prodigy faced taunts, rejections, and even blows from leather balls that dented her helmet, but not her resolve.
Her early schooling at St. Paul’s School, Rohtak, set the foundation for a new beginning. Later, at Mandeep Senior Secondary School, she balanced academics with cricketing ambition. She even celebrated scoring an 87 in the World Cup final, and over 80% in her Class 12 Central Board of Secondary Education results.
For a generation told that sport and studies could not coexist, Shafali’s journey is proof that they can.
A victory that began in India’s classrooms
India’s 2025 triumph is a sporting milestone, but also a reflection of evolving opportunities for women. Schools, colleges, and local academies across states like Punjab, Maharashtra, and Haryana now stand as quiet witnesses to a cultural shift. The idea that education and sport move in parallel, not opposition, is finally gaining ground.
The women who lifted that trophy carried not only bats and dreams but also the imprint of every classroom that once opened its doors to them.
As a billion hearts celebrate, this win belongs as much to those who taught them to think as to those who taught them to play.
Congratulations, Team India! Champions on the field, and beyond it.
At the DY Patil Stadium, before 45,000 roaring fans, India outclassed South Africa by 52 runs to lift the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup, a moment long in waiting. The Women in Blue had finally delivered their own 1983, ending decades of heartbreak and near-misses.
Yet beyond the roar of the crowd and the glitter of the trophy, this victory also carried a quieter story, one of classrooms, coaching fields, and the educational journeys that shaped three of India’s brightest cricketers: Harmanpreet Kaur , Jemimah Rodrigues , and Shafali Verma .
Harmanpreet Kaur: From Moga’s classrooms to captain’s glory
Born in Moga, Punjab, Harmanpreet Kaur’s path to the top was built on grit more than glamour. Her father, Harmandar Singh Bhullar, once an aspiring cricketer himself, became her first coach. She trained at Gian Jyoti School Academy, nearly 30 kilometres from home, learning the game with men long before the idea of women’s professional cricket had matured in India.
Harmanpreet moved to Mumbai in 2014, taking up a role with Indian Railways, one of the few steady options for women athletes then. She has been reported to hold a Bachelor of Arts degree, with early education linked to Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya College under Guru Nanak Dev University in Jalandhar.
Jemimah Rodrigues: The Mumbai all-rounder who learnt balance early
For Jemimah Rodrigues, the journey began in the lanes of Bandra, Mumbai. Her father, Ivan Rodrigues, a school coach, ensured sport was a part of learning, not apart from it. At St. Joseph’s Convent High School, Jemimah split her days between hockey fields and cricket nets.
Later, at Rizvi College of Arts, Science and Commerce, she continued to balance academics with early domestic tournaments. Her education reflected a city’s rhythm, competitive yet nurturing. That balance now defines her batting: calm under pressure, measured, and precise.
Shafali Verma: From Rohtak’s school grounds to the world stage
Shafali Verma’s story is one of courage and unconventional education. In Rohtak, she once disguised herself as her brother to gain admission into a boys’ cricket academy. The young prodigy faced taunts, rejections, and even blows from leather balls that dented her helmet, but not her resolve.
Her early schooling at St. Paul’s School, Rohtak, set the foundation for a new beginning. Later, at Mandeep Senior Secondary School, she balanced academics with cricketing ambition. She even celebrated scoring an 87 in the World Cup final, and over 80% in her Class 12 Central Board of Secondary Education results.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CsLsElNNhrO/ https://www.instagram.com/p/CsLsElNNhrO/
For a generation told that sport and studies could not coexist, Shafali’s journey is proof that they can.
A victory that began in India’s classrooms
India’s 2025 triumph is a sporting milestone, but also a reflection of evolving opportunities for women. Schools, colleges, and local academies across states like Punjab, Maharashtra, and Haryana now stand as quiet witnesses to a cultural shift. The idea that education and sport move in parallel, not opposition, is finally gaining ground.
The women who lifted that trophy carried not only bats and dreams but also the imprint of every classroom that once opened its doors to them.
As a billion hearts celebrate, this win belongs as much to those who taught them to think as to those who taught them to play.
Congratulations, Team India! Champions on the field, and beyond it.
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