Amol Muzumdar's 'impromptu' speech before final ignited fire within Harmanpreet Kaur's India: 'Understand this'
Navi Mumbai, November 8, 2025 - The atmosphere at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy was electric. The Indian women's cricket team stood on the precipice of history, a mere final away from clinching their first-ever ICC Women's World Cup title. As the rain delayed the start, a sense of nervous anticipation filled the air. It was in this crucial moment that head coach Amol Muzumdar delivered a speech that would resonate far beyond the boundaries of the cricket field.
Muzumdar, appointed as the head coach in October 2023, had been instrumental in shaping the team's strategy and morale. However, his pre-final address wasn't a meticulously planned tactical briefing. Instead, it was an "impromptu" outpouring of emotion and belief, a raw and honest message that struck a chord with the team.
"Seven hours we cut out all the noise," Muzumdar began, his voice firm yet filled with conviction. "We cut them out of our lives; we create our own bubble here. Seven hours create our own bubble, and we step into it, and we finish that, and we write our own story, no more stories from the outside. We write our own story. You will write your own story. Let's stay in that bubble for the next seven hours. Let's create history".
The coach's words urged the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side to block out the external pressures and expectations, to create their own destiny. Muzumdar's "seven hours without noise" speech drew parallels to Shah Rukh Khan's iconic "Sattar minute" speech from the movie 'Chak De! India', which added to the inspirational impact. Muzumdar, however, insisted that his message was genuine and heartfelt, not a theatrical performance. He later revealed that while he had prepared his huddle talks until the semi-final, the final speech emerged naturally.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who has featured in multiple World Cups, carried the experiences of near-misses and heartbreaks. Before the final, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar called her, advising her to stay calm and maintain balance during the game. Inspired by his words and Muzumdar's speech, Harmanpreet led India with grit, guiding the team to their maiden ICC Women's World Cup title. She also made a crucial bowling change, bringing in Shafali Verma, which proved instrumental in securing the victory.
The final saw India post a competitive 298/7, with significant contributions from Shafali Verma (87) and Deepti Sharma (58). In response, South Africa were bowled out for 246, succumbing to the pressure despite a century from their captain, Laura Wolvaardt.
India's victory was not just a win; it was a watershed moment for women's cricket in the country. Harmanpreet Kaur became the first Indian woman and only the third Indian captain after Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni to lift a senior World Cup trophy for India. The team's success was a result of two years of detailed planning and hard work under coach Amol Muzumdar.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been credited for its role in transforming women's cricket, with initiatives like pay parity, the Women's Premier League (WPL), and improved infrastructure. The players were rewarded handsomely for their efforts, with the BCCI announcing a ₹51-crore prize pool and the ICC providing a USD 4.48 million (₹37 crore) purse.
As Harmanpreet Kaur lifted the World Cup trophy, it was a moment of dreams realized, a testament to the power of belief, and the impact of an "impromptu" speech that ignited a fire within the team. Muzumdar's words served as a reminder to the team: "Understand this, you are capable of creating your own destiny".
