"The Indian men's team has never done something like this" - R. Ashwin's stunning claim on women's team's heartfelt gesture post World Cup 2025 win

Legendary India spinner R. Ashwin praised Harmanpreet Kaur’s side for sharing their celebrations with former players following their triumph in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 final. The summit clash took place on Sunday, November 2, at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

Asked to bat first, India posted 298 before bowling out South Africa for 246 in 45.3 overs to seal a 52-run win and clinch their maiden World Cup title.

After the match, the team celebrated their historic victory by involving former stars such as Jhulan Goswami, Mithali Raj, Anjum Chopra, and Reema Malhotra, who were all part of the broadcasting team.

Reacting to the win and the heartfelt gesture in a video on his YouTube channel on Monday, November 3, Ashwin lauded the women’s team for their act of respect and appreciation, noting that the men’s team has never done anything similar. Ashwin said:

“This victory of the Indian team, how do you see it? Back in 2016-17, when Harmanpreet Kaur played that incredible innings against Australia, after that came the heartbreak against England. Jhulan Goswami was part of that World Cup. Mithali Raj was part of that World Cup.” “Even yesterday, the Indian team gave 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 something like this. Sometimes in front of the media, we say things because that’s the media trend, that this person did it or that person did it. But I haven’t often seen anyone giving true credit to the previous generation. Usually, it becomes about ‘my generation’s team is good’ and 'your generation’s team wasn’t that great.’ I’ve seen a lot of such discussions,” he added.

Before this historic campaign, India had previously reached the finals of the 2005 and 2017 ODI World Cups, where they suffered defeats under the leadership of Mithali Raj.

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“It’s the result of 25 years of work” - R. Ashwin on India winning the Women’s World Cup 2025

In the same video, R. Ashwin mentioned that India’s triumph in the Women’s World Cup 2025 is the result of over two to three decades of hard work and perseverance. R. Ashwin said:

“This women’s team, Anjum Chopra was there, Mithali Raj was there, and by handing them the trophy, they allowed them to see with joy that the seeds they once planted and nurtured are now standing tall as winners today. I found that fascinating, unbelievably good. Because this victory that the Indian women achieved, it didn’t come today. It’s the result of 25 years of work, maybe two or even three decades.”

Shafali Verma was named Player of the Match in the final, while all-rounder Deepti Sharma received the Player of the Tournament award.

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Edited by Dev Sharma