Kudos to the Indian eves for winning their debut World Cup and creating history by beating the Proteas by 52 runs.
What a success achieved through combined commendable performance of all players right from the group stage to the final! And even when the chips were down following the losses against Australia England and South Africa, the eves didn't feel let down and staged an excellent fightback to reach the knockout stage prior to the ultimate success! So it's a win of perseverance stamina courage fighting spirit with a "Never Say Die" attitude and of course impeccable team spirit and cohesion at its best.
Even the replacement of brilliant Pratika Rawal following her injury - - Shafali Verma (that too while making her comeback) - - has done wonders in the final by scoring an excellent innings of 87 runs and fetching 2 wickets landing her the award of "Player of the Match"!
The ever-consistent Deepti Sharma perhaps played the match of her life in the historic final! 58 runs, 5 wickets and a highly crucial run out in crucial part of the match resemble nothing but a fairy tale of sorts! And the "Player of the tournament" arrives as that icing on the cake on the plate of the magical girl showering "Deepti" (radiance) all around!
The night which Smriti Mandhanas Jemimah Rodrigues Richa Ghoshes Shree Charanis and of course the dynamic captain-cum-batter Harmanpreet Kaur have gifted us will surely be cherished by all Indian cricket connoisseurs throughout their lifetime.
In this time and space of rejoice, we must not forget the yeoman's contribution of the likes of Jhulan Goswami Mithali Raj and all illustrious predecessors as they also form part of the process behind such creation of history and who had paved the path for the current team to display their excellence!
No success (be it of individual or team) attains divinity unless the qualities of humanity, warmth of heart, grace are embedded in it. And our eves have displayed it more than our expectation, thereby making the night more significant.
When Rodrigues dropped a straight forward catch in the deep as the Proteas were engaged in the threatening 9th wicket partnership, neither captain Kaur nor the concerned bowler displayed any anger or frustration! No ugly shout or angry stares towards Rodrigues! Now just imagine the picture of contrast in the version of cricket played by the "machos"!
Even after bagging a crucial wicket or defeating the Proteas who indeed gave a good tensed fight, no crude celebration, no swearing, no pin-pointing the Opposition players! Just sheer grace calm poise and humble smile! That's the beauty of our Indian eves from where the "machos" reside at the furthest distance possible! Who will teach those overhyped "alpha males" that strength doesn't lie within muscles, but within a pleasing personality and civility!
During the post-match celebrations on the field, what a heart fulfilling scene of the wheelchair-bound Pratika Rawal being brought in the field with the players making her an integral part of the celebrations despite her absence in the playing XI ! What a beautiful stance towards Rawal and her previous contributions who had set fire on the field prior to her injury!
In this moment of triumph, Kaur has not forgotten the contribution of her predecessors and so displayed magnanimity and humility enough to hand over the coveted Cup to Jhulan and Mithali as well! What an example set by her as far as awarding due respect to those who had ignited the torch of India's path to cricketing progress!
However, the Proteas eves also demand our due respect who also bravely reached the final and displayed heroics with the captain Laura Wolvaardt leading from the front with a stupendous century! Also despite missing the train of debut Trophy, the South African girls also acted much dignified by taking failure in stride! Humble and Grace in Victory, Poise and Calm in Defeat - - both the teams have transmitted excellent messages to the world at large how to lead an ideal life!