Harmanpreet Kaur reveals how India scripted turnaround after three big losses; ‘our next plan is make this a habit’

India were on a brink of early exit from the ICC Women's World Cup 2025 after three straight losses to South Africa, England and Australia in the group stage. Down by three back-to-back losses, usually it gets very difficult for a team to recover. But for Harmanpreet Kaur, it inspired the Indian team to come out in a new avatar to win the World Cup.

Reflecting on a successful campaign, Harmanpreet revealed the loss to England by four runs was a turning point for the whole Indian team. Not only the the defeat had a profound impact on the team but it also prompted them to work on their mental approach.

“Not a single player said “what will happen now” when things were not going well, especially after the heartbreaking loss against England. That night changed a lot of things for us, we thought we will have to come out with a stronger mindset and everyone came together even more," explained Harmanpreet.

Following the losses, India mastered the art of scored 300-plus runs on a consistent basis (three matches in a row). While their win over New Zealand sealed India the semifinal spot, Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet inspired Women in Blue's historic run chase in the semifinal against Australia. In the final, it was Deepti Sharma's fifer that did the magic.

Harmanpreet Kaur's next plan with Indian team

Reaching the finals of an ICC tournament isn't new for the Indian women's team. From 2005 to 2017 (both ODIs) to 2020 T20 World Cup, India weren't able to finish over the line. Sunday's victory is a start of many and Harmanpreet wants to make it a habit.

“Definitely. This is the start. We wanted to break this barrier. And now, our next plan is make this a habit. Because, you know, we are waiting for this moment. Now, this moment has come. Now, let's just make this happen, you know," she continued.

Now, next year there's also World Cup and then Champions Trophy is there. So, so many big occasions are coming. We just want to, you know, keep improving day by day. This is not a end. This is just a beginning. And we just want to keep giving our best,” she added.