The Indian women’s team, carrying years of heartbreak and hope, lifted their first-ever ICC Women’s World Cup trophy on Sunday night at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. The victory not only ended India’s long wait for a world title but also drew praise from some of the biggest names in global technology, including Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, both Indian origin tech leaders, who took to X to congratulate the team on their historic win.
Sundar Pichai congratulates Indian Women’s team
Sundar Pichai, a long-time cricket enthusiast, was among the first to applaud the team’s victory. Taking to X post right after the match, he called the final “nail-biting.” Pichai said the match brought back memories of India’s iconic World Cup triumphs in 1983 and 2011. “That was a nail-biting women’s World Cup final — memories of 1983 and 2011 indeed. Congrats to Team India! I’m sure this will inspire a whole new generation. Great tournament from South Africa too,” Pichai wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
India beat South Africa by 52 runs in a contest that swung back and forth till the very end. India’s openers were on fire early on. Shafali Verma stepped down the track, lofting her way to five boundaries in her first 19 balls. Smriti Mandhana played her signature back-cuts and cover drives, and together they raced to 58 for no loss in eight overs.
Satya Nadella: ‘New chapters written, legends born’
Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella described the victory as a defining day for women’s cricket. He hailed both teams for their performances and the game spirit they brought to the tournament. “Women in Blue = World Champions! Respect to South Africa for making their first-ever final. A truly historic day for women’s cricket — new chapters written, barriers broken, legends born,” Nadella wrote, celebrating Women in Blue’s rise to the top of the world of cricket.
With Harmanpreet Kaur as the captain, India delivered a dominant all-around performance, beating first-time finalists South Africa by 52 runs in their final match. Shafali Verma fell just short of a century, scoring a brilliant 87 runs, while Deepti Sharma had a wonderful all-round performance, scoring a fighting 58 runs, and then going on to pluck an important five wickets (5/39) to secure India’s win. Just days before, India shocked seven-time champions Australia in a historic run chase of 339 runs thanks to centuries from Jemimah Rodrigues and an in-form Harmanpreet Kaur.
Chasing 299, South Africa’s openers, Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits, gave their team an aggressive start, rotating the strike and picking the gaps. Wolvaardt led the way scoring a resolute 101 runs, while wickets began to fall.