On 2nd November night at DY Patil Stadium, there was a lot of noise — drums, people shouting, and blue flags everywhere. Then, Amanjot Kaur lifted her hands and had tears in her eyes. India’s women cricket team had won! After 52 long years, India finally won by 52 runs against South Africa.
Colorful paper fell from the sky, but Amanjot was looking at the crowd. She wanted to find her father — the man who made her first cricket bat from old wood in Mohali.
She was not the top scorer, but she helped the team in many important moments. She made 12 runs from 14 balls and made two great fielding moves that changed the game. One time, she dived full-length and got Laura Wolvaardt out — the whole stadium went quiet. A few minutes later, she ran fast and got Tazmin Brits run out. The Indian players jumped with joy! When the 45th over ended, everyone was clapping loudly.
Her journey to this day was not easy. At home, her father worked as a carpenter. He made and fixed wooden furniture during the day and repaired her cricket gear at night. Sometimes, the family had to choose between paying school fees or buying cricket shoes. But her father always said, “Your dream comes first.”
People laughed at her father and said, “Girls don’t play cricket.” But he didn’t care. Every morning, he took Amanjot to cricket practice on his bike.
Amanjot trained at the Punjab Women’s Academy. She didn’t even have her own pads and used borrowed ones that were too small. Her coaches liked how calm she was — even when she lost, she just nodded and kept playing. She was calm like that again in this big match, under bright lights, catching the ball perfectly.
After the match, the BCCI (India’s cricket board) made a big announcement. They said the women’s team would get ₹51 crore as prize money — even more than what ICC gives! BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia said this was a proud moment for Indian cricket. Jay Shah also supported this and promised to help women’s cricket grow even more.
When Amanjot got the message on her phone, it was a picture of her father watching the match on TV — with tears in his eyes. In their street in Mohali, little kids were playing cricket and shouting her name after every shot.
Amanjot Kaur is now 25 years old and one of India’s best all-rounders. Her father once made wooden planks with his hands, and now Amanjot has made her own destiny with a cricket bat.