Puri

Renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has created a unique sand sculpture at Odisha's Puri Beach to congratulate the Indian Women's Cricket Team for winning the 2025 World Cup title after defeating South Africa by 52 runs at a match held in DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.

The artwork carries the message "Congrats! Bharat ki Nari Shakti", celebrating the power and spirit of Indian women.

The sculpture features a 6-foot-long sand bat crafted from five tonnes of sand and adorned with numerous cricket balls, symbolising the dedication and teamwork of the victorious players.

"The Indian Women's Team has scripted history. They won the 2025 Cricket World Cup. The entire world is watching India's 'Nari Shakti', how they surprised the world through their Cricket. Through their art, we installed several balls here and created a sand sculpture at the Puri Beach to congratulate the team. Jai Ho! Jao Bharat!" Sudarsan Pattnaik said in a video message.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated the Indian women's cricket team, saying the entire nation is proud of their achievement and that their success will inspire millions of young people across the country.

Speaking at the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) 2025, PM Modi said, "This event is related to science. But first, I will talk about India's spectacular victory in cricket. All of India is overjoyed with the success of its cricket team. This is India's first Women's World Cup. I congratulate our women's cricket team. We are proud of you. Your success will inspire millions of young people across the country."

Earlier, PM Modi hailed the Indian team for their maiden ICC Women's World Cup title win, saying that the performance in the final was marked by "great skill and confidence" and will motivate "future champions" to take up sports.

In a post on X, PM Modi said, "A spectacular win by the Indian team in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 Finals. Their performance in the final was marked by great skill and confidence. The team showed exceptional teamwork and tenacity throughout the tournament. Congratulations to our players. This historic win will motivate future champions to take up sports. #WomensWorldCup2025."

President Droupadi Murmu also lauded Team India for winning their maiden ICC Women's World Cup title in 2025, saying they have created history by winning it for the first time, and this watershed moment will take women's cricket to even higher performances.

In a post on X, President Murmu said, "My heartiest congratulations to each and every member of the Indian women's cricket team on winning the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025! They have created history by winning it for the first time. They have been playing well, and today they got the result befitting their talent and performance. This watershed moment will take women's cricket to even higher performances. I admire the way the girls have done India proud."

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Coming to the match, India's years-long dream of capturing the ICC Women's World Cup finally came to an end after two heartbreaks in the 2005 and 2017 finals, as they defeated South Africa by 52 runs in a clinical performance at the finals, which saw Shafali Sharma (87 and 2/36) and Deepti Sharma (58 and 5/39) delivering all-round performances that would stay imprinted in the minds of millions and serve as a tale of inspiration for the cricketers of the future.