India’s 1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev has urged the supporters not to compare the women’s team’s performances and a potential win to his and his team’s triumph in England, 42 years ago.
There has been a growing buzz over whether a victory for India over South Africa on Sunday could trigger a similar revolution to the women’s game in India, like the World Cup win in 1983 did.
But the 66-year-old said that the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side had played good, smart cricket, adding that he felt they had taken the level of cricket a notch above than before.
Kapil’s 𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘴 did it in 1983 🏆
Now, it’s time for Harman’s Hurricanes 🤞The first captain to win a World Cup for 🇮🇳 has a special message for the #WomenInBlue 🗣#CWC25 Final 👉 #INDvSA | Sun, 2nd Nov, 2 PM! pic.twitter.com/ZA3to3VL7I
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) November 1, 2025
“A lot of people compare them to ‘83, and I don’t want there to ever be a comparison. These girls are very good, very smart and the way they played cricket, it felt like they took the level of cricket to the next level,” Dev told Star Sports in a video.
The former India captain also praised Harmanpreet for her batting exploits and added that he wished to see an even better performance in the final against South Africa on Sunday.
The 36-year-old made 89 off 88 balls in the semi-final against Australia, putting on 167 runs for the third wicket with Jemimah Rodrigues, which laid the foundation in India’s chase of 339 runs.
“The way the captain played cricket is of a different level, and I would like that tomorrow’s final should be better than this. I can understand that you want to win to a certain extent, but what kind of cricket you play should be discussed more,” he added.
Dev further said an Indian win would please everyone, but urged the side to put on a good show in all three departments in the crunch game on Sunday.
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“If they win, there will be even more happiness, but they should play good cricket. The way they have played, it will be even better,” he concluded.
