NEW DELHI — India celebrated a watershed moment in its sporting history today after the women’s cricket team won their first World Cup crown, with greats of the game saying it would inspire future generations.

A packed DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai saw hosts India defeat South Africa by 52 runs yesterday, adding a women’s trophy to the country’s four men’s World Cup titles, starting with the first in 1983.

“1983 inspired an entire generation to dream big and chase those dreams. Today, our women’s cricket team has done something truly special,” batting legend Sachin Tendulkar posted on social media.

“They have inspired countless young girls across the country to pick up a bat and ball, take the field and believe that they too can lift that trophy one day. This is a defining moment in the journey of Indian women’s cricket,” he added.

Fans celebrated at home and on the streets, with crowds in Delhi waving Indian flags and setting off fireworks.

Virat Kohli hailed the triumph as “an inspiration for generations to come,” while Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the “historic win will motivate future champions to take up sports.”

India posted 298–7, with Shafali Verma smashing 87 and Deepti Sharma scoring a run-a-ball 58, before Sharma’s 5–39 helped bowl South Africa out for 246 in 45.3 overs.

Team captain Harmanpreet Kaur said after the win, “We weren’t looking to the left or right. We were only looking at our main end goal,” as India’s 2025 heroes joined the ranks of World Cup-winning captains Kapil Dev, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma.