Never Stop Dreaming, You Never Know Where Destiny Will Take You: Harmanpreet Kaur

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Indian women’s cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who recently led India to its first-ever World Cup victory, shared an inspiring message for the youth of the country. She urged them to “never stop dreaming,” saying that destiny can take anyone to unimaginable heights.

In a video shared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Harmanpreet said, “Since childhood, whenever I started to understand what I liked or disliked, there was always a bat in my hand. I used to play with my father’s bat—it was too big for me, so one day, he cut one down to make it smaller. Whenever we watched India play on TV, especially during World Cups, I used to think that I wanted an opportunity like that someday. At that time, I didn’t even know women’s cricket existed.”

She continued, “A girl who didn’t even know about women’s cricket once dreamt of wearing the blue jersey. That jersey meant the world to me. I dreamt of change, and that dream shows why one should never stop dreaming you never know where destiny will take you. You don’t always know when or how it will happen, but if you believe, it will. I always had the confidence that it was possible and it happened exactly that way.”

Recalling the emotional World Cup win, Harmanpreet said, “Winning the World Cup was my childhood dream. To achieve it under my captaincy made it even more special. Personally, it was an emotional and magical moment. I still can’t believe how everything fell perfectly into place. We are world champions now. I feel peaceful, humble, and grateful to God. We are living the dream we saw for years.”

Remembering India’s heartbreaking 9-run loss in the 2017 ODI World Cup final, she said, “Even though we had control of that match, losing it broke our hearts. But that moment gave us the motivation to come back stronger. Despite being runners-up, the love and welcome we received from the nation boosted our confidence and today, we have the result. This victory belongs to everyone the fans in the stadium, those watching on TV, and everyone who prayed for us.”

After defeats in the 2005 and 2017 ODI World Cup finals, Team India under Harmanpreet Kaur’s leadership created history by defeating South Africa in the 2025 final, lifting the trophy for the first time.