While team songs have long been a part of Australian men's cricket team culture, Indian cricket, which had been making do with "Chak De India" and "Suno Ghaur se Duniya waalo", got one to call it own after the women’s team’s historic ODI World Cup win on Sunday.
When the sprightly Jemimah Rodrigues and the victorious World Cup winning team, along with coaches and support staff, formed a huddle around the 22-yard strip, they sang a refreshing “Victory Anthem”, "Rahega sab se upar, hamara Tiranga!… ham hai Team India, ham hai Team India!" (Our Tricolour would fly high), which echoed deep into the night as the squad sung their hearts out.
They sang in sync with no one caring if they were in tune or not. Head coach and domestic stalwart Amol Muzumdar's voice was among the prominent ones singing the song that could be heard from a distance. "Saath mein chalenge, saath mein uthenge… ham hai Team India, saath me jeetenge (We will walk together, we will rise together, we will win together, we are Team India),” they sang boisterously.
Long after their passionate fans, who revelled in celebrations on every occasion the Indian team did well, had left, the winning side emerged to sing the team song which was perhaps never heard before.
Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, who set the record for most runs for any Indian in a World Cup (434), held the trophy in both her hands as she walked out to the middle with her teammates and every single member of the coaching staff.
The diminutive Jemimah Rodrigues, whose incredible 127 not out against Australia here in the semifinal added another seminal moment in women’s cricket history, was a clear crowd favourite with her family in tow. The crowd had kept breaking into chants of “Jemi… Jemi!” to keep on cheering for India’s pocket dynamite from Bandra, who has made DY Patil Stadium her bonafide home ground in recent years with the venue hosting plenty of India’s fixtures.
With families and friends around, there was hardly a moment to sit back and reflect on their achievements, but Indian players did not miss out when it came to mingling with their South African counterparts till they were at the venue, hugging and consoling them.
South African player Marizanne Kapp’s eyes were moist, but Jemimah and Radha Yadav embraced her in bear hugs, while the tournament’s two best batters — Mandhana and South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt (a record 571 runs) — kept chatting for a long time before receiving their awards.
While several players had their families around them, Smriti Mandhana was seen with her partner Palash Muchal and, sometime later, the two emerged from the team’s dressing room with Muchal holding the Indian superstar's helmet.
As players began retreating to their hotel adjacent to the stadium, a cheerful Harmanpreet, finally free from her customary duties and routines, including the mandatory media interaction, emerged in a totally different avatar. With a portable music player in hand playing Punjabi hits and sporting sunglasses, Harmanpreet’s joy resembled that of a little girl. A hoodie dangling from her head, the Indian skipper walked out of the dressing room to the beats of dhol.
Also read: India beat South Africa to win Women’s World Cup 2025
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