Navi Mumbai witnessed an emotional throwback on a historic Sunday night as Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana — draped in the Indian tricolour — celebrated India’s maiden Women’s ODI World Cup title in scenes strikingly similar to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s post-victory picture from the 2024 T20 World Cup in Barbados.
The image of the Indian captain and vice-captain smiling, wrapped in the flag, instantly reminded fans of Kohli and Rohit’s iconic post-match frame from the USA-West Indies edition last year — a moment that symbolised the end of one era and the rise of another after India defeated South Africa to lift the T20 World Cup.
Tonight, the parallel felt poetic.
Just like Rohit and Kohli stood shoulder-to-shoulder as symbols of Indian cricket’s golden era, Harmanpreet and Mandhana mirrored the same bond — two pillars who carried women’s cricket through struggles, heartbreaks and near-misses to finally reach the summit.
Harmanpreet, who made her ODI debut in 2009 — the same year Kohli became a World Cup champion in the men’s T20 format — stood next to Mandhana, who has been in sublime form this tournament and took home Player of the Tournament honours. The moment summed up a generational shift, hard-earned respect, and the emotional weight of India finally breaking the title drought in the format.
