During the post-match celebrations in the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, after India clinched the trophy to beat South Africa by 52 runs, emotional scenes unfolded when the Indian team carried the trophy to Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Anjum Chopra and Reema Malhotra - stalwarts who had come agonisingly close to winning the title in previous editions of the ODI World Cup.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cSo we were having that round in which we say thank you to all the fans. I saw Jhulan ma'am crying, Mithali ma'am was there and Anjum ma'am was there lifting the trophy. It didn't feel like she hadn\u2019t won the trophy - it felt like she played the match today and won the final. So it felt like an awe moment and just to see how much understanding this team has, generation to generation,\u201d recalled Pratika in an exclusive conversation with IANS on Thursday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
An emotional Jhulan stood between captain Harmanpreet Kaur and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, while expressing her gratitude to both of them. After Jhulan, Mithali held the trophy aloft with a radiant smile, surrounded by applause from the squad she once led.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Indian team also presented the trophy to Anjum and Reema, with the latter sharing a light-hearted moment with Harmanpreet by singing a popular Hindi song, \u2018Sadda haq, aithe rakh\u2019.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt was the reward for every one of us \u2013 not just our team, but the years that have gone by, for these legends of the game. The sacrifices they made to bring women's cricket up and to uplift it - finally, they've been rewarded.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cSo it felt really good to see everyone was in tears and had utmost joy. They were enjoying and lifting the trophy. There are a lot of pictures and I've saved them in my phone and I want to keep them in my phone for the entire life,\u201d added Pratika.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
She further spoke about what the impact of this ODI World Cup win would be on women\u2019s cricket ecosystem in India. \"So, women's cricket, definitely, will get a big push. I think it all started when they were the finalists in the 2017 World Cup. Women got the recognition, which was long due.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cSo it felt really good to see everyone was in tears and had utmost joy. They were enjoying and lifting the trophy. There are a lot of pictures and I've saved them in my phone and I want to keep them in my phone for the entire life,\u201d added Pratika.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"They can finally feel that they can convince their parents by saying that, \u2018No, dad, look, they are doing it too, I want to do it too\u2019. I'm very happy that we're at that stage where we can inspire a lot of girls, not just in cricket, I think in every sport, that they play any sport, and win it at the highest level for their country,\u201d she added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n