Another impact of the Colombo rain and the quiet group stage was that the tournament lacked any jeopardy, there were no shocks or surprises which make World Cups in any sport so special.
The biggest would have been Pakistan beating England, as they very likely would have done, had the weather not intervened.
Those games may not have changed the eventual semi-finalists, as the final four were the ones most would have predicted anyway, but it meant that it was taken out of their hands, and it took until the knockouts for the tournament to really kickstart.
First, Laura Wolvaardt stunned England with a majestic 169 and Marizanne Kapp ripped through the batters with 5-20 as South Africa dominated in Guwahati, rewriting their script after they were bowled out for 69 there in their opener.
Wolvaardt’s was the first of four centuries (two to her, one for Phoebe Litchfield and Jemimah Rodrigues) in the semis which all oozed class, power and skill to show just how much the game has developed, and what these players can do on the biggest stage.
Rodrigues then lit up Navi Mumbai as India toppled defending champions Australia in an all-time classic, chasing a record 339 under the bright lights which reignited the hopes of a nation after they had consigned themselves to disappointment following three group-stage defeats.
That is what turned the tide. Queues formed outside the stadium more than 24 hours out from the first ball of the final, stalls and vendors lined the streets selling hats, flags and shirts with Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet’s names on the back.
As the stars aligned, the stars showed up – Sachin Tendulkar, the leading run-scorer in Test cricket history, delivered a pre-match talk for the team before the game and sent the crowd ecstatic when he walked with the trophy on to the outfield.
“This is India. It takes very little to get emotions up in a good way or a bad way and that’s exactly what’s happened,” Wakankar added.
“I’ve had people, friends who are influential enough to be able to get tickets on their own, calling me all over the past day and a half and tickets are just not there.
“I’ve heard that players’ families, extended families, having been struggling to get into the ground.”
For the post-match celebrations, India’s players changed into different playing shirts with the word “Champions” emblazoned on the front. Past players, legends in Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raj, joined the party and there is talk of a winners’ parade in Mumbai with the trophy, a chance for even more people to see their new heroes.
In the end, it was Harmanpreet, after years of near-misses in a stellar career, who delivered the most fitting summary.
“This is not the end, this is just the beginning.”
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