Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues Gesture Women’s World Cup 2025

In a stirring display of sportsmanship, Indian cricketers Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues exhibited extraordinary composure and generosity following India’s momentous victory over South Africa in the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 final.

The Indian teams basked in a moment that can only be experienced on the game’s most cherished ground, while competitors on both sides were cowed with emotion. An Indian squad that had weathered through several near misses felt their presence on the main stage, while South African cricketers were left in tears and heartbroken just moments after falling short of their first global title.

Yet, amidst the joy, and bigger than the result, Mandhana and Rodrigues took to stand of sportsmanship that is too often forgotten in sport. Leaving their own teammates to cheer, the two young batters strode over to the South African dugout, to provide consolation for their distraught opponents including Marizanne Kapp and Laura Wolvaardt. This emotional moment of South African and Indian players hugging one another quickly trended around the world, and demonstrated to everyone that good sportsmanship is part of what makes cricket, and sports, special.

The incident was shared by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on social media, with the caption of “the spirit of cricket at its most pure form.”

Both India and South Africa were in the final chase of a historic moment as it was each team’s first journey to win an ODI World Cup title. In the end, India won by a commanding 52 runs, propelled by dominant performances from Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma.

After the defeat, South Africa’s captain Laura Wolvaardt expressed great pride in the team for their campaign saying that there were many ups and downs in their journey through the tournament.

“I could not be prouder of this team for the campaign we had. Brilliant cricket throughout, but we were outplayed today by India,” Wolvaardt said. “We had some difficult moments early on, but the way the girls bounced back was an example of our resilience. We will definitely grow from this experience.”

She went on to discuss the challenge of leading the side, and how she learned to manage her captaincy with her own game:

“At times, I would overthink things. Once I began just treating it as another game of cricket, it gave me the ability to then focus on playing my natural game and focusing on captaincy separately.”

For fans in India, it was a moment of joy after years of effort and heartbreak in tournaments around the world. But the highlight was not just the trophy; the humility and kindness afterwards were what made it truly memorable.

In a sport generally dominated by rivalries, the act by Mandhana and Rodrigues reminded the world about the true spirit of cricket: not fullness of victory, but empathy, mutual respect, and inclusion.

When social media erupted with commentary and praise, one Indian fan hit the nail on the head with their observation:

“India didn’t just win the World Cup. They won hearts.”

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