India beat South Africa to win the Men’s Cricket World Cup on Saturday, ending a tournament winless streak that stretched back more than a decade despite the country dominating other areas of global talent, money and influence.
The tournament was played on several Caribbean islands, with some matches held in the United States, including in a temporary stadium in New York. Back home, it was nearly midnight, and jubilant crowds spilled into the streets of several cities when India claimed victory in the final in Barbados.
“It might sink in after a few hours but it feels amazing,” said India captain Rohit Sharma, who walked around the stadium with his daughter on his shoulders and thanked the crowd. “Crossing the finish line is a fantastic feeling for everyone.”
The closely fought match was very emotional for India, partly because many of their veteran players, including 37-year-old Sharma, were nearing the end of their careers. India last won the World Cup in T20, the shortest format of cricket, in 2007, when Sharma was just starting out. One of cricket’s most recognizable icons, 35-year-old Virat Kohli, was also missing out on the biggest prize. India’s coach, Rahul Dravid, had never won a World Cup in his long and illustrious playing career.
All three players ended the evening on a happy note as Sharma and Kohli announced their retirement from the faster-paced, shorter format of the game. Dravid, who is usually a quiet and calm man now that his tenure as India coach is over, was seen shouting in celebration after the win.
Indian President Drupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi both congratulated the team. “On the field, you won the World Cup. But in the villages, cities and communities of India, you won the hearts of your fellow countrymen,” Modi said in a video message.
Cricket, loved by hundreds of millions of people, is essential to India’s international brand, perhaps more important than the country’s film industry. India’s cricket governing body is sometimes accused of using its extraordinary economic power to sway the terms of world cricket competition, reflecting its status as the richest donor and home to the world’s best players.
The launch of the Indian Premier League in 2007 transformed a sport that was once seen as slow and underfunded. In just 17 years, the league’s brand value has grown to more than $10 billion, making it one of the richest sports leagues in the world. Players regularly receive contracts worth more than $1 million for a season that lasts around eight weeks, with some of the highest-paid players making closer to $3 million.
India launched the IPL’s sister league, the Women’s Premier League, last year for $500 million, the same investment it made in launching the men’s league, and it’s already expanding opportunities for women in India and talented players from around the world. The league’s wealth means more investment at the grassroots level to develop more players. Once in the shadows of the men’s game, women now enjoy brand endorsements, bigger TV audiences and thousands of fans at stadiums to watch matches.
Foreign players in both leagues also enjoy large domestic fan bases and are a great PR force for India as they travel to play and use social media to post praise for the country’s diverse culture.
In India, a cricket-mad country that avidly follows its players’ every move on and off the field, many of this generation’s stars have become role models who can help the country bring about change on social issues, particularly in public life, which remains male-dominated.
Captain Sharma, who is married to a sports management professional, and Kohli, who is married to an actor, often speak about the role of partners in their careers. Sharma’s wife Ritika Sajdeh and daughter are often by his side during tours, while Kohli is often seen video calling his family from the stadium after matches.
“Our daughter’s biggest concern was seeing the players crying on TV and whether there would be someone to hug them all,” Kohli’s wife, Anushka Sharma, wrote on social media after the win.
Jasprit Bumrah, who was named World Cup MVP, was interviewed after receiving the award with his wife, announcer Sanjana Ganesan, a touring working couple who were in a celebratory mood and caring for their 10-month-old baby in a stroller behind them.
“Jasprit, thank you so much for sharing your story with us and I wish you all the best in the future,” Ganesan began as she concluded the interview, but before she could finish her husband gave her a hug before running back to celebrate with his teammates.
