'When we met you in 2017…': India World Cup winners Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana remind PM Modi of his gracious act
Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana recalled what PM Narendra Modi had told the Indian women's team when they lost to England in the final of the 2017 World Cup.
Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana were among a select few who witnessed the heartbreak of Lord's 2017 up close and personal. The Indian women's cricket team, under the captaincy of Mithali Raj, had fought tooth and nail to reach the final eight years ago against England. They had only lost to Australia and South Africa in the league stage before scripting a memorable win in the semis against the Aussies. They had even beaten England by 35 runs; however, in the summit clash, India came up just a little short, going down to the hosts by nine runs.
What pinched the most about the defeat was that India were well and firmly in control of their chase of 229, until a late collapse robbed them of a World Cup win. They came back home empty-handed, where India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi's words lifted their confidence. The women carried that self-belief with them in every tournament, through every adulation and failure. And today, when the Indian women’s team has finally become World Champions, winning the World Cup, captain Harmanpreet and batter Mandhana remembered PM Modi’s words and reminded him of his gracious act eight years ago
"I still remember when we met you in 2017, we couldn’t bring the trophy, but this is a matter of pride and honour for us that the thing we have been working hard for years, we were finally able to bring the trophy to you here. Your presence has increased our happiness, and our aim now is to meet you more often in the future and take pictures with you," Harmanpreet told PM Modi when the women's team met the Indian Prime Minister.
"When we lost in the final eight years ago, sir had motivated us a lot. He told us what we needed to do whenever we got our next opportunity. Give our best. And today, now that we’ve finally won the trophy, it felt good to speak with him," she added while addressing the camera.
PM Modi echoed their thoughts. "Honestly, what you have achieved is very big. In India, cricket is not a game; in a way, it has become the life of many people. If India plays well, the country feels proud, and if things go wrong even slightly, the entire country gets shaken," he said.
What Mandhana said
Mandhana, who finished the World Cup 2025 as the second-highest scorer with 434 runs, behind South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt, has been India's most prolific women’s batter. In the 2017 World Cup, Mandhana had just 232 runs from nine matches, almost half of her tally in this edition. Mandhana recalled how she had taken everything Prime Minister Modi said in her stride over the years.
"When we came in 2017 but couldn’t win the trophy, we asked you a question about expectations, and your answer really helped. The next 6-7 years, we all tried, endured a lot of heartbreaks, but perhaps it was our destiny to win the first World Cup in India. Not just cricket, but the way girls are performing in every field. It's all the more inspiration and motivation to continue to do the good work and inspire the next generation of women in our country," she told PM Modi.
