India's World Cup heroics deserve a long-lasting legacy

Stunning home triumph has upended the status quo and should serve as a wake-up call to nation's powerbrokers

- Raf Nicholson

Fans in Delhi revel in India's victory over South Africa - now it is time for the BCCI to capitalise and back women's cricket at a grassroots level

(ANUSHREE FADNAVIS/ REUTERS)

Sunday was a long day for the India captain, Harmanpreet Kaur. It began with a two-hour rain delay; it concluded with a catch at cover, taken on the stroke of midnight, which sealed a 52-run victory against South Africa and a maiden World Cup title.

But amid the fireworks, tears, hugs, a lap of honour at the DY Patil Stadium, and rumours of a forthcoming winners' parade in Mumbai, Kaur found time to deliver an important message to the media. “We've been waiting for this moment,” she said. “The celebration will go on all night. And then let's see what BCCI is planning for us ... this is just the beginning.”

The implication was clear.

A World Cup win in a country which is cricket obsessed, which has a population of 1.46 billion and yet which has historically been slow to embrace the women's game, could be epoch-defining. But this is no time for anyone to rest on their laurels.