 "India completed a world record chase to beat Australia, reach Women’s World Cup 2025 final. Image: PTI")
Sometimes, a few strong words are all you need to spur a group of individuals. The Indian women’s cricket team, Amol Muzumdar, fell back on the same strategy once the Women In Blue were pushed to the brink of elimination in the ongoing ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur revealed on Thursday.
We probably wouldn’t have known this intriguing dressing room story had India not reached the final, but much to the relief of the 1.4 billion people, the women’s team successfully stopped the Australian juggernaut with a historic performance at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Thursday to storm into the World Cup final .
India chased down a massive 339-run target, the biggest ever in a women’s ODI, to break Australia’s 16-match unbeaten streak as Jemimah Rodrigues played a once-in-a-lifetime knock of 127 not out to script a personal redemption story . India will now face South Africa in the final.
However, before that, the captain and coach revealed how they managed to script a turnaround in the Women’s World Cup 2025, after three consecutive defeats against South Africa, Australia, and England in the league stage left them staring at early elimination.
Also Read | Jemimah didn’t just script a run-chase; she exorcised India’s scars and proved this team can finish
In that England defeat, which ended almost all hopes, India, while chasing 289, sat comfortably at 234/3 after 41 overs, as the result looked a formality, but calamity struck then. Smriti Mandhana got out on 88 in the 42nd over, followed by swashbuckling Richa Ghosh in the 46th and half-centurion Deepti Sharma in the 47th.
Muzumdar’s ‘hair dryer’ treatment scripts Indian turnaround
Still, India needed just 27 in the last three overs and despite losing no more wickets, they somehow failed to complete the chase , losing by four runs after dropping Jemimah Rodrigues.
This is when Muzumdar decided to take the matter into his own hands, delivering the ‘hair dryer’ treatment in the dressing room, which has been made famous by the great Sir Alex Ferguson. His exact words have not been revealed, but it’s easy to understand what his message would have been.
While speaking to Star Sports after India’s semi-final victory over Australia, Harmanpreet revealed that the domestic stalwart, Muzumdar, made the team realise the expectations that the country has from the Indian women’s cricket team, the watershed opportunity they have in a home World Cup, the potential they carry and how close they are to squandering all of it.
The reveal began when Harman was asked about the turnaround after the England defeat, as India then went on to beat the T20 world champion New Zealand to qualify for the semi-final.
Harman-Muzumdar camaraderie stands out
Harman replied: “After losing to England, sir can tell you better (smiles. I didn’t speak a word after that match because he was only speaking. He can tell you better.”
This was where Muzumdar pitched in as he narrated what went on in the dressing room.
“Just had a little bit of a chat with the players. I did say a few things in the dressing room. It was shared in the dressing room, but it was in good spirits,” the 50-year-old coach said as Harman took over again.
“Everybody took it in good spirit. We all trust what Sir says because we know he speaks from the heart. That day, he was a little aggressive, in a good way,” the skipper revealed.
A slightly embarrassed Muzumdar tried to stop her. “Harman, you don’t have to reveal everything,” he said in vain as Harman continued: “But everybody took it so positively because we knew whatever Sir was saying, he was right.
“After that, I spoke to all the players, because I wanted to see how they are feeling. Sir is expecting the right thing from us and that is not something which the entire country is expecting from us, the way we lost that match. Everybody took it in a very positive way and today you can see the way everybody played.”
Intriguing as the conversation may have been, it was equally heartwarming to see the strong camaraderie between Harmanpreet and coach Muzumdar.
That trust and bonding are the real reasons India managed to overcome the seemingly invincible Australian challenge with a record chase on Thursday. And they will need the same belief on Sunday to finish the job against South Africa in the Women’s World Cup final.