Sachin Tendulkar’s Midnight Call That Changed Everything for Harmanpreet’s India

India’s women’s cricket team created history last Sunday by lifting their first-ever World Cup trophy, defeating South Africa by 52 runs in the final at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

But what many didn’t know was that the team received a special phone call from Sachin Tendulkar the night before the big game.

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur revealed that the cricket legend spoke to the players ahead of the final, sharing valuable advice and encouragement that helped them stay calm and focused on the big day.

“The night before the match, Sachin sir called. He shared his experience and asked us to keep our balance,” Harmanpreet said in an interview on the ICC Review.

“When the game is going fast, just slow it down a little. Try and control it because when you go too fast, you can stumble. That’s what we needed to avoid.”

She added that she kept reminding herself of his words during the final.

“I was just thinking of all the advice I was getting from the seniors, to stay patient, stay in control, and wait for the right moment. It really helped,” she said.

Tendulkar was also present at the final, cheering from the stands alongside Rohit Sharma and BCCI secretary Jay Shah. The packed crowd witnessed a memorable performance from the Women in Blue, who dominated both with bat and ball to claim the historic title.

Shafali Verma was named Player of the Match for her brilliant 87 and two wickets, while Deepti Sharma bagged the Player of the Tournament award after her five-wicket haul in the final.

With this win, Harmanpreet Kaur became the first Indian woman, and only the third Indian captain after Kapil Dev in 1983 and MS Dhoni in 2011, to win a senior World Cup for India.

“To be honest, I still can’t process it,” said Harmanpreet. “It feels like we’ve just won a bilateral series. Maybe after a few months, we’ll truly realise what we’ve achieved for our country.”