Harmanpreet Kaur gets wax statue alongside Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni after historic World Cup win

Former India women's cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur on Friday said the country's maiden Women's ODI World Cup triumph could transform the women's game in the same way India's first men's World Cup victory in 1983 changed the landscape of cricket.

Harmanpreet made the remarks in Jaipur after unveiling her wax statue, which will be placed alongside those of legendary cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni.

Describing India's World Cup victory as the culmination of years of hard work, she said winning the trophy had fulfilled a long-cherished ambition and expressed confidence that the team would continue to achieve similar successes.


"For me, it was a very big achievement. I think it was the hard work of so many years, and there was always just one dream-to make India win the World Cup. And when we won it, a very big dream came true, and I'm sure that in the coming times, we will keep winning trophies like this," she said.

Harmanpreet calls statue a major achievement

Reacting to the honour of having her wax statue alongside Tendulkar and Dhoni, Harmanpreet acknowledged the stature of the two former India captains, saying she still had a long way to go before reaching their level.

"See, I think they are very great cricketers. I am still not at that level, but for me, it is a very big achievement that my statue is being made, and I'm sure that upcoming cricketers will get even more motivation from this and will be able to do well for the country," she said.

She also encouraged young girls aspiring to pursue cricket to dream of representing the country, recalling that playing for India had been her biggest ambition when she started out.

"See, I think everyone should dream. When I started playing too, first of all, I had the biggest dream of representing the country. And I'm sure today here also, so many young kids have come who look so excited, and today by meeting them I can motivate them, and in the coming times, they will also motivate future generations," she said.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi's approach an example for young cricketers

Speaking about the future of Indian cricket, Harmanpreet cited young batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi's aggressive style of play as an example for emerging cricketers. She expressed hope that the next generation of women players would adopt a similar approach and help change perceptions of the game globally.

"Yes, definitely, like right now he has set an example with the way he is playing cricket. And I'm sure that the new young girls coming up will also play aggressive cricket like this, and across the entire country and the entire world, they will change the image of women's cricket and try to play impressive cricket in the same way," she said.

Comparing the impact of India's maiden men's World Cup victory in 1983 with the recent women's triumph, Harmanpreet said the latter could prove to be a turning point for women's cricket.

"Yes, definitely. As we saw when India won the World Cup for the first time in '83, after that the whole landscape of men's cricket changed. Similarly, right now the landscape of women's cricket seems to be changing, and I'm sure this is just the beginning; in the coming times, we will do even better," she added.

(With inputs from ANI)