New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS) Former India captain and a legendary figure in the history of women’s cricket in the country, Diana Edulji, expressed her pride in the team after the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side won their first-ever ICC Women’s World Cup on Sunday night at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. Edulji called it ‘a red-letter day’ in the sport, adding that she was proud to be a woman cricketer.

“Well, today is a red-letter day. I’m very happy today and a proud woman cricketer. All the hard work of the last 50 years has borne fruit today. And I’m very, very proud that the girls have won this World Cup. They deserve all the accolades, and they played wonderful cricket. And today also, they played like a true champion team.

“You could make out that they were hungry for this victory. And they would want to go over the line, which they were struggling to get. Since 2017, we were trying to get over the line. I recall my days as a COA member at the time, when we were in England and just missed it by eight runs. And I’m very happy.

“It’s a long journey, but a fruitful journey. And I would like to congratulate Shafali and Richa, because they won the World Cup under-19 and the seniors also. So that is a very proud moment.

She also lauded the crowd’s support, saying that they received a fitting gift for their constant cheering and dedication for the team. Oh, excellent, excellent crowd. And what better gift to give. You know, it is very good that they have done it in the home ground with 40,000 people watching,” Edulji said.

India defeated first-time finalists South Africa by 52 runs on the night of the final to clinch their maiden ICC trophy in front of their home crowd.

–IANS

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