The Indian women's cricket team made history at the under-19 T20 world cup in South Africa on January 29, beating England by seven wickets to win the inaugural title.
Celebrations erupted in India after the landmark win, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cricket stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli and many others taking to social media to congratulate the team.
Modi said the young team's "special win" will inspire many budding cricketers. "Best wishes to the team for their future endeavours," he said
Congratulations to the Indian Team for a special win at the @ICC #U19T20WorldCup. They have played excellent cricket and their success will inspire several upcoming cricketers. Best wishes to the team for their future endeavours. https://t.co/BBn5M9abHp— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 29, 2023
Kohli tweeted: "What a special moment! Congratulations girls on your triumph."
U-19 World Cup Champions! What a special moment! Congratulations girls on your triumph— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) January 29, 2023
Rohit Sharma lauded the team for making India proud.
Big congratulations to the U-19 girls cricket team for winning the World Cup. Well done on making the nation proud @bcciwomen @bcci— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) January 29, 2023
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah announced a prize of Rs 5 crore for the winning team.
"Women’s Cricket in India is on the upswing and the World Cup triumph has taken the stature of women’s cricket several notches higher," he tweeted. "This is surely a path-breaking year."
Women's cricket in India has been boosted through various steps in the last few months. Five teams were auctioned recently for the first ever Women’s Premier League in India, which will be played in March. BCCI got Rs 4,669.99 crore through the auction. In October 2022, the cricket board had announced that male and female cricketers will now receive the same match fee -- Rs 3 lakh for T20I, Rs 6 lakh for ODI and Rs 15 lakhs for Test cricket.
President Draupadi Murmu said the Indian under-19 team were "outstanding" in their performance.
Congratulations to Team India for winning the inaugural Under 19 Women’s T20 World Cup for Cricket! These talented young girls put up outstanding performance. These champions are an inspiration for our youth, especially the girls. The historic win has made India proud.— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) January 29, 2023
"These champions are an inspiration for our youth, especially the girls. The historic win has made India proud," she tweeted.
