The victorious Indian women’s cricket team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur touched down in the national capital on Tuesday evening for its meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. The team won its first global trophy — the 50-over World Cup — beating South Africa by 52 runs in the final in Navi Mumbai on Sunday, marking a defining moment for the women’s game in the cricket-obsessed country.
The squad members, along with head coach Amol Muzumdar, got a warm reception at the Mumbai airport where a sizeable crowd came to see them off. However, at the General Aviation Terminal (GA), a specialised dedicated facility at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, there was only a posse of mediapersons present with the general public not allowed due to security protocol.
Star Air, a regional airline, operated a special charter flight (S5-8328) to carry the team to Delhi from Mumbai. The Bengaluru-based airline operated many charter flights for the participating teams during the just-concluded women’s showpiece, which was jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Upon arrival at IGI, the Indian team members left for the hotel and are scheduled to meet the prime minister on Wednesday evening, before dispersing for their respective hometowns.
Only Shafali Verma will be back to lead the North Zone women’s team in the Inter-Zonal T20 meet and will be in Nagaland for the event. PM Modi will felicitate the triumphant Indian team during the meeting. The ceremony, to be held at the prime minister’s official residence, will celebrate the team’s remarkable campaign under captain Harmanpreet. The triumph was a watershed moment for Indian women’s cricket as years of toil and near-misses culminated in an evening of redemption and history, with the team getting the better of the formidable South Africans in the final to become only the fourth side to lift the ODI title.
