Never stop dreaming: Harmanpreet Kaur’s message after Indian women’s WC triumph

Harmanpreet Kaur's lifelong dream finally became reality on Sunday night as she held aloft the Women’s World Cup trophy, leading India to a commanding 52-run win over South Africa in Navi Mumbai. The moment, decades in the making, brought with it not just victory, but a message, one she hopes will echo through future generations of young cricketers: “Never stop dreaming. You never know where your destiny will take you.”

- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

In a video shared by the BCCI, Harmanpreet looked back on her earliest memories of cricket, playing with a bat far too big for her, one she had borrowed from her father’s kit.

“Ever since, as a kid, I started getting a sense of what likes and dislikes are, I’ve always seen a bat in my hand,” she said. “I still remember we used to play with a bat from my dad's kit bag. The bat was very big.”

That changed the day her father cut down an old bat to make one that fit her hands.

“We used to play with it. Whenever we used to watch a match on TV, or watch India play, or watch the World Cup, I used to think, I need an opportunity like this. At that time, I didn’t even know about women’s cricket.”