THE BEGINNING & END OF LEGACY

Indian cricket irrevocably transformed in 2025. A historic World Cup crown, the slow fading of giants, and the rise of a new generation defined a year where change arrived in plenty

- Samreen Razzaqui

Cricket, at its best, has never just been about numbers. It is about moments and memories carried forward on tired legs and weary shoulders.

This year, Indian cricket celebrated a watershed triumph, said painful goodbyes without fully letting go, and discovered leadership in an unsuspecting individual.

Across a team in transition, the ripple of a historic win, the old guard fighting to remain relevant and a new head seeking legitimacy, one theme cut through the noise: the realisation that something is changing.

A crown earned

India's ICC Women's ODI World Cup triumph was not merely a win. It was a reckoning. For decades, women's cricket in the country lived in the margins underfunded, under-televised, and most importantly, underappreciated. This title, lifted at home under bright lights and brighter public attention, was validation for every player who trained on empty grounds, every coach who persisted despite little incentive, and every young girl who learned patience before belief.

The final itself felt almost symbolic in its calm inevitability.

Harmanpreet Kaur's India was not a team playing for a moment, it was a side shaped by years of near-misses and lessons learned the hard way.

The win announced India not as a challenger, but as a contender that is intent on making winning its habit for the years to come.