For a country that woke up still pinching itself, Jemimah Rodrigues latest Instagram post said what every Indian was feeling - “Are we still dreaming?”
On Monday morning, Rodrigues shared a series of photos that instantly went viral that showed her and her teammates Smriti Mandhana, Arundhati Reddy, and Radha Yadav asleep beside the gleaming ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 trophy. Lying in their casual wears with a face gleaming with happiness and joy, the four players lay sprawled around cricket’s most coveted trophy. Her captions, “Good morning world” and “Are we still dreaming?”, perfectly captured India’s collective emotion which is a mix of disbelief, exhaustion, and unfiltered joy.
Another post by Harmanpreet Kaur where she posted a photo in which she is seen lying in bed with the World cup trophy, with an imprint on her t-shirt which says, "Cricket is everyone's game". The caption the post read, “Some dreams are shared by a billion people. That’s why cricket is everyone’ game. #CricketIsEveryonesGame"
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The post came barely hours after India lifted their maiden Women’s ODI World Cup at the D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, defeating South Africa by 52 runs. For the women’s team and for a nation long waiting to see this day, it was not just a win, but an arrival of something we never knew we needed.
From heartbreak to history
Jemimah Rodrigues had been at the heart of India’s fairytale campaign. Her unbeaten 127 against Australia in the semi-final set up a record-breaking chase of 339 which is the highest successful pursuit in a World Cup knockout match. It was the innings that broke the seven-time champions’ streak and lit the path to the final. Partnering with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (89), she guided India from 59/2 to a chase that will be remembered for decades.
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When the final whistle blew on Sunday, tears flowed freely from the dugout to the stands. India, runners-up in 2005 and 2017, had finally conquered the summit. Former cricketer and head coach Gautam Gambhir summed it up on X (formerly Twitter):
“You have not just created history, you’ve created a legacy that will inspire generations of girls! #LegendsForever.”
For the first time, the country as a whole spoke with pride, eyes moist and hearts full — inspired by its daughters in blue. The viral photo now stands as a symbol of that emotion: four women, asleep in victory, guarding a dream that every Indian woke up believing in.
