Some stories begin with applause. This one begins with silence.
On November,2nd 2025, India’s women lifted their first-ever ICC World Cup, defeating South Africa by 52 runs at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai. But behind that trophy was a coach who never got his debut, and a team that carried the dreams of a thousand families.
• The Coach Who Never Played for India
Amol Muzumdar was once the brightest star in Mumbai’s domestic sky. A right-handed batter with elegance and endurance, he scored:
His debut knock of 260* in the Ranji Trophy remains a record. Yet, despite his brilliance, Muzumdar was never capped for India. Selected once for an ODI series against West Indies in 2006, he padded up, but never played. The next call never came, despite of him being one of Indian cricket’s greatest domestic performers; with over 11,000 first-class runs and a batting average of 48.13, known for his timing and technique, he became the pillar of Mumbai’s dominance in the 90s and 2000s, yet remained as one of the finest uncapped batters in the Indian cricket history. He hung his boots in Sep,2014, no farewell match, no press conference, just a zipped kitbag and a heart still burning.
• The Turning Point: IPL Coaching
Years later, Muzumdar found a new arena – ‘The Indian Premier League’. He played a pivotal coaching role, beginning with the Rajasthan Royals as their batting coach in 2018, where he mentored emerging talents like Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag. He later joined the Mumbai Indians as a batting consultant, focusing on domestic players and earning a reputation for his calm, methodical mentorship. His influence has been instrumental in shaping the temperament and technique of India’s next-gen batters.
In the IPL’s high-pressure cauldron, Muzumdar rediscovered his rhythm, not as a player, but as a teacher of temperament. His ability to nurture young minds, decode technique, and build emotional resilience became his signature.
This was the turning point; the moment his destiny rebooted.
• The Daughters of Destiny- Rewriting India’s sporting script with grit, grace, and generational fire
These weren’t just players. They were daughters of bus drivers, farmers, clerks, and tailors. Girls who trained barefoot on cement pitches. Girls who were told, “Cricket is not for you.”
Family as First Coaches: Fathers who stitched kits, mothers who skipped meals, siblings who bowled in alleys; every player is a family story.
Suffering as Fuel: Poverty, rejection, grief not obstacles, but ignition points. These women didn’t just play cricket. They played for transformation.
Mental Health & Resilience: Injuries, depression, ridicule, they faced it all, and still chose courage.
From Shahdol to Bijapur, Golaghat to Chinsurah — they came from places where dreams are often deferred. But they carried fire in their bellies, because they had seen suffering up close. And they wanted to rewrite their family’s fate.
An insight into the 15-member squad who
lifted the 2025 Women’s 50 overs World Cup
(From their hardships to their individual contribution that made them the worthy World Champions)
1) Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain, All-rounder) – Moga, Punjab
Daughter of a clerk; trained on concrete pitches with boys.
Father sold household items to buy her first cricket kit.
Contribution @ 2025 World Cup- Runs- 260 in 8 innings, Wickets: 4, Run-outs: 1,
Catches -2 (Including the World Cup winning catch against South Africa)
Highlight: Scored 78 vs England in a tense chase — anchored the innings with calm leadership.
2) Smriti Mandhana (Vice-Captain, Opener) – Sangli, Maharashtra
Lost her father early; brother became her first coach.
Battled mental health lows after India’s 2017 World Cup final loss
Contribution@ 2025 World Cup- 434 runs in 9 innings, (Avg.54.25),
Run-outs: 1, Catches: 3.
Highlight: 109 off 95 balls vs New Zealand — her aggressive Strokeplay turned the game towards India.
Recognitions: Named in ICC’s Team of the Tournament, 2nd highest Scorer with a total of 434 runs in the tournament (Surpassed Mithali Raj’s record for most runs in a single World Cup edition), while Laura Wolvaardt scored a tournament-high 571 runs in 9 matches, with a knock of 101 in the final’s vs India.
Viral Moment: Brought injured teammate Pratika Rawal to the podium- in a heartfelt gesture, Mandhana wheeled Pratika Rawal, who missed the knockouts due to injury onto the stage during the award ceremony
3) Shafali Verma- Opener (Replacement for Pratika Rawal, who was ruled out due to an ankle injury in the last league match)- Rohtak, Haryana
Contribution@2025 World Cup- Played 2 matches (Semis and Finals)
Highlight: Her knock of 87 off 78 balls + 2 wickets + 1 Catch in the Final vs South Africa
Award: Player of the Match @ Finals
4) Pratika Rawal: (Opener), Delhi
Emerging talent from a middle-class family.
Trained in local parks with limited access to professional coaching.
Contribution@2025 World Cup- Runs- 308 in 6 Innings
Highlight: 127 vs Australia in the semifinal — match-winning knock under pressure.
5) Deepti Sharma; (All-rounder), Agra
Father was a railway employee; travelled 30 km daily for practice.
Missed trials due to lack of transport; trained with borrowed gear.
Contribution @2025 World Cup- Runs: 410, Wickets: 22 (Most by an Indian in a single edition of a world cup)
Catches: 3, Run-outs: 2,
Highlight: 5/39 + 58 runs in Final vs South Africa.
Award: Player of the Tournament
6) Renuka Singh (Fast Bowler) Rohru, Shimla
Lost father at age 3; mother worked in school; trained in remote hills with minimal gear.
Contribution@2025 World Cup- Wickets: 11 from 3 innings
Highlight: 4/35 vs Pakistan
New-ball specialist, early breakthroughs.
7) Jemimah Rodrigues (Batter), Mumbai
Daughter of a school coach; rejected for being “too-short”; juggled hockey & cricket.
Contribution @ World cup- Runs: 268 (Avg.44.66), Strike rate: 106.34, Catches: 2
Highlight: Her innings of 127 vs Australia was a match winning semi-final knock.
8) Richa Ghosh (Wicket-keeper Batter), Siliguri, West Bengal
Her father was a club cricketer; trained under streetlights; family faced financial strain
Contribution@2025 World Cup- Runs: 235, Strike-rate: 133.52, Catches: 7, Stumping: 2,
Highlight: 42 off 22 balls vs Australia in the semi-finals, turned the game on its head.
9) Pooja Vastrakar (All-rounder), Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh
Lost mother young; played with boys; overcame career-threatening knee injury.
Contribution @2025 World Cup- Runs: 142 (as lower order batter), Wickets: 9, Catches: 2.
Highlight: 3/27 + 48 runs vs Bangladesh; broke their middle-order resistance and sealed the win.
Key spells vs England and South Africa; maintained tight lines under scoreboard pressure.
10) Rajeshwari Gayakwad (Spinner), Vijayapura, Karnataka.
Father was a gardener; lost him before India debut; battled depression and stigma.
Contribution @2025 World Cup- Wickets-10, Catches:2.
Highlight: 3/41 against Srilanka
11) Titas Sadhu (Fast Bowler), Chinsura, West-Bengal
Daughter of a school teacher; trained in rain-soaked fields; known for discipline.
Contribution @2025 World Cup- Wickets-7, Catches: 2.
Highlight: 2/28 vs England; disciplined pace under pressure
12) Saika Ishaque (Spinner), Kolkata
Grew up in a one-room house; father passed away when she was 12; rose through local leagues
Contribution @ 2025 World Cup: Wickets-6, Catches-1.
13) Harleen Deol: (Batter), Chandigarh
Father in government service; faced ridicule for playing with boys
Contribution @ 2025 World Cup- Runs 58 from 2 innings, Catches-1
Highlight: Her only catch was a stunner, and it came in the match against West Indies & it became viral
14) Kanika Ahuja (All-rounder), Patiala, Punjab
Lost her father early; mother supported her cricket dreams against odds
Contribution @ 2025 World Cup- Played in only 2 matches; Runs- 41 , Wickets-1, Catches-1.
Highlight: 41 off 28 balls vs Sri Lanka — a late-order rescue act that helped India post a defendable total
15) Amanjot Kaur (All-rounder), Mohali, Punjab
Father a bus driver; juggled studies and cricket; trained in government grounds
Contribution @ 2025 World Cup- Played in only 2 matches; Runs: 74, Run-out:1, Catches:1
Highlights: Direct hit to dismiss Tazmin Brits in the final, juggling catch to dismiss Laura Wolvaardt, Captain South Africa on 101
Award: Fielder of The Match in the Finals
• When Souls Align, Stones Become Milestones
Muzumdar didn’t just coach them. He understood them. Because he too had known rejection. He too had sat on the edge of glory and watched it slip away. Together, they built a team not of stars, but of souls in sync. They trained like warriors. They played like poets. And in November 2025, they lifted India’s first-ever Women’s World Cup, defeating South Africa by 52 runs in Navi Mumbai and with that won recognition, respect, and resonance.
This wasn’t just a cricket story. It was a civic parable of how suffering, when shared and transformed, becomes strength. Of how families, when they believe, become institutions. And of how souls, when aligned, can turn stones into milestones.
Remember: “Pain is not the opposite of greatness; it’s the gateway. These women didn’t just endure; they transformed pain into performance, protest, and purpose. Their stories are now civic texts, emotional blueprints, and reformist metaphors.”
