‘Never stop dreaming, destiny will find you’

The night sky over Navi Mumbai shimmered with fireworks as India lifted the Women's World Cup trophy, and in that electric moment, Harmanpreet Kaur's mind drifted back to a quiet lane in Moga, Punjab—where it had all begun. A little girl once stood in her courtyard, gripping a bat far too big for her hands, her eyes full of impossible dreams.

Still quite overwhelmed by emotions, India's newest World Cup-winning captain recalled how picking up her sports-tragic father's "big" cricket bat as a kid ignited the dream that is now a reality.

After leading India to a 52-run win over South Africa in the World Cup final, Harmanpreet, in a heartfelt video posted by the BCCI, looked back at the roots of her journey—and shared one message that summed up her life's philosophy: "Never stop dreaming. You never know where your destiny will take you."

"Ever since I was a kid, I've always had a bat in my hand. I still remember we used to play with a bat from my dad's kit bag. The bat was very big. One day, my dad carved a small bat for me out of one of his old bats. We used to play with it."

That hand-carved bat became the start of something extraordinary. Her father, Harmandar Singh Bhullar—a passionate sportsman who gave up his own dreams to support his family—watched proudly as his daughter took her first steps toward greatness.

"Whenever we used to watch a match on TV, or watch India play, or watch the World Cup, I used to think, I need an opportunity like this. At that time, I didn't even know about women's cricket," she recalled.

With her father's unwavering belief and her own quiet determination, the little girl from Moga grew into a national icon.

"I was dreaming, when will I wear this blue jersey? So I think this means a lot to me, a young girl who didn't know about women's cricket, but still dreamt, that one day, I want to bring that change in our country."

The road wasn't easy—limited facilities, little recognition, and countless sacrifices—but Harmanpreet never stopped believing.
"And I think, it all shows that you should never stop dreaming. You never know where your destiny will take you. You never think, when will it happen, how will it happen. You only think, this will happen."

Now, at 36, her dream stands fulfilled. Holding the trophy close, she confessed, "Personally, it's a very emotional moment. Because, it was my dream since childhood. Ever since I started playing, it was my dream to win the World Cup one day. If I get an opportunity to lead my team, I don't want to miss this opportunity."

She paused, the weight of years of effort and faith in her voice. "So, I said all these things from the bottom of my heart. And God heard everything one by one. It's like magic. I don't understand how come suddenly everything is falling in place. Everything kept happening one by one. Finally, we are world champions."

Harmanpreet's journey wasn't just about cricket—it was about resilience, representation, and rewriting history. From the heartbreak of the 2017 final to the joy of 2025, she and her teammates proved that dreams carved from humble beginnings can one day lift a nation.