Hartley’s prediction and confidence in India’s boom was echoed by India’s players themselves, who sensed the magnitude of their win and what could be in store.
“This means a lot, we have created history,” said 25-year-old all-rounder Amanjot Kaur.
“But this is just the start. We are going to dominate all over the world in every format and I’m glad we could do it when it mattered most.”
While Amanjot is among a crop of exciting, emerging talents, for Harmanpreet, Deepti and Smriti Mandhana – the three players who featured in India’s last 50-over World Cup final, the agonising nine-run defeat by England at Lord’s in 2017 – this was a crowning moment.
Mandhana has been the tournament’s poster girl, her face plastered across billboards and television adverts everywhere, while Deepti has been their most consistent performer with Harmanpreet as their superstar leader.
It is her fifth and final World Cup and for a player usually so intense on the field, she allowed the emotion to take over with tears, smiles and dance moves as she was surrounded by her team-mates for the long-awaited trophy lift.
“Every time, after every World Cup that we came to as a team, we were discussing what we needed to do,” Harmanpreet, 36, said.
“The expectations of us were that they needed something special, and the BCCI really invested in us, and that’s why we are standing here.
“This is the start, and we wanted to break this barrier, and the next plan is to make this our habit. We have so many big occasions coming up, and this is not the end; this is just the beginning.”
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