It was celebration time for the Indian women cricketers who clinched a historic gold medal at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou on Monday.
Batting superstar Smriti Mandhana, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and explosive opener Shafali Verma were in high spirits. All-rounder Minnu Mani, the lone Keralite in the squad, was also seen enjoying the moment as she posed for photos with a beaming smile.
The Asian Games gold medal is a very special achievement for this immensely talented bunch of cricketers. They have won several trophies in their career, but this is perhaps the first time they have stood on the centre of the podium wearing a gold medal around their neck.
Normally, both women's and men's teams wear jerseys with the logo of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the governing body of cricket in the country, when they take part in events held under the aegis of the International Cricket Council. However, in multi-sport events like the Asian Games, they don jerseys with a tricolour on the front instead.
Batting all-rounder Jemimah Rodrigues said she had goosebumps when the national anthem was played during the medal ceremony. "It was an immensely poignant moment," she added.
Mandhana, who scored a crucial 45-ball 46 in the final, hoped that cricket would be included in the Olympics as a medal sport. According to her, cricket in the Olympics will be as big as the World Cup.
Wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh was happy that she could meet and interact with several stars of Indian sport including footballer Sunil Chhetri during the Games.
The team will return home on Tuesday. As they were going back to their hotel room to pack their bags after the medal ceremony, someone from the crowd revealed a big secret that all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar had kept under wraps – her birthday. In fact, none of the team members knew it was Pooja's 24th birthday. The joy was evident when the entire team broke into wild celebrations at the dressing room as they wished and hugged Pooja on her special day.