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History ‘repeated’ itself on Monday. India women’s team captain Harmanpreet Kaur posed in front of the Gateway of India in Mumbai with the coveted Women’s World Cup trophy, recreating the iconic picture of ‘Captain Cool’ MS Dhoni with the World Cup title in 2011. India revelled in a historic moment by ending its barren run in ICC tournaments and lifting its first Women’s World Cup trophy, overwhelming South Africa in an electrifying final. At Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium, India etched its name in the history books with a 52-run win over the in-form South African side.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) took to X and posted a couple of pictures of Harmanpreet in front of the Gateway of India. In one of the pictures, she posed with the trophy, which resembled the way Dhoni had posed with the Men’s World Cup crown.

In 2011, under the leadership of Dhoni, India suffered just one setback-against South Africa-and defeated top-tier nations, including arch-rival Pakistan, to storm into the final. In the summit clash, Gautam Gambhir’s 97 (122) and Dhoni’s flamboyant 91 (79) helped India chase down the 275-run target to lift the silverware.

In the pulsating Women’s World Cup final, India hammered 298/7 on the board courtesy of Shafali Verma’s explosive 87 (78) at the top and Deepti Sharma’s composed run-a-ball 58 in the middle. In reply, South Africa disintegrated under pressure and was bowled out for 246 in 45.3 overs, despite a fiery 101 (98) from captain Laura Wolvaardt.

After the nerve-wracking final, Harmanpreet was effusive in her praise for past stalwarts Jhulan Goswami and Anjum Chopra. She credited the duo for supporting her throughout her illustrious 16-year career.

“Jhulan Di was my biggest support. When I joined the team, she was leading it. She always supported me in my early days when I was very raw and didn’t know much about cricket. I used to play with boys, and the school principal picked me up, and within a year, I started representing the country. In the initial days, Anjum (Chopra) provided me with a lot of support. I always remember how she used to take me along with her team,” Harmanpreet said after the match.

“I learnt a lot from her and passed it on to my team. Both of them have been a great support for me. I am very grateful that I got to share a special moment with them. It was a very emotional moment. I think we all were waiting for this. Finally, we were able to touch this trophy,” Harmanpreet added.

With ANI inputs