Outlook Year-Ender 2025: Women who resisted and broke the mould  

Queens of the pitch: Indian women win ODI world cup

On the midnight of November 2, at Navi Mumbai's D.Y. Patil Stadium, the team led by Harmanpreet Kaur made history by winning their first Women's World Cup. The nation exploded in joy and celebration. Social media was teeming with stories, statuses and endless love for the women cricketers. This historic moment and the journey behind it sparked joy, hope and inspiration to millions. The win highlighted clearly and boldly: Cricket is no longer just a gentleman’s game.  The historic World cup win inspired ordinary Indians.   Inspired by Team India’s victory, T. Anuja, for instance, returned to competitive sport after five years, participating in the Mumbai walkathon on November 9. Once forced to abandon athletics due to financial hardship, she has now resumed running practice.

Sight no bar: India wins women blind cricket world championship

India’s blind women’s cricket team scripted history by lifting the inaugural Women’s T20 World Cup for the Blind on November 23, 2025, in Colombo, by defeating Nepal in the final. Led by Deepika TC, the team remained unbeaten through the tournament. The win marks a defining moment for physically challenged women cricketers, who braved daunting odds to emerge triumphant. The victory highlights the resilience of blind women athletes and calls for stronger institutional support, funding, and visibility for para-sports in India.

Jemimah Rodrigues: A fighter on and off the field

Battling the odds, Jemimah Rodrigues stepped to bat when India had lost its first two batters early during the semi-final match with Australia. The diminutive Mumbai batter stood tall against the Aussies, holding her ground from the second over till the very end. She faced 134 balls and helmed India to victory. That day, India successfully chased the highest total in the history of the Women’s ODI World Cup. An exhausted Rodrigues couldn’t stop her tears after the match, and openly talked about her mental health issues. She shared the anxiety she had overcome over the last few months. It wasn’t just the uncertainty of cementing her place in the eleven for the World Cup that was weighing on her mind, what took a toll were the trolls attacking her on social media.

Defeating the demons in her mind and social media trolls, Jemimah emerged as an inspiration  both on and off the field.

Smriti Mandhana: Champ who challenged centrality of marriage

Indian cricket star and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana was busy with pre wedding ceremonies in her hometown Sangli right after winning the World Cup. Her teammates and family were set to celebrate the new innings in her personal life. Palash Muchhal, Smriti’s former partner, had even proposed to her at Wankhede Stadium. However their wedding plans soon unraveled. Just hours before the ceremony, Smriti’s father was hospitalised with a heart condition, forcing the wedding to be postponed indefinitely. In the weeks that followed, unconfirmed reports surfaced alleging infidelity on Muchhal’s part. Later Smriti issued a short statement formally calling off the wedding.

With this Smriti showed that it’s never too late to make right decisions in life and speaking up is important. In society dominated by caste patriarchy, challenging the centrality of marriage is complex and often comes with a heavy price.  

Vinesh Phogat: Grappling with the odds

Vinesh Phogat’s journey over the past few years has been anything but linear. After the heartbreak of the 2024 Paris Olympics where her campaign ended in controversy and crushing disappointment, she remained at the centre of the wrestlers’ protest against former WFI chief and the BJP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Phogat spoke relentlessly on sexual harassment in Indian sport. Soon after, she surprised many by entering electoral politics, winning the Julana seat in Haryana as a Congress MLA. This year, Phogat stepped into another significant phase: of motherhood. Defying expectations once again, Vinesh has now announced she plans to return to the mat and aim for the 2028 Olympics. With this Phogat ha declared that for her, the personal and political battles are far from over.

A young legislator and new mother, who defied society and wants to start her sports career again is an inspiring figure for thousands of women.

Avalkoppam: Standing as one against sexual violence

As the year was coming to an end, the Kerala sexual violence case verdict by a Kochi trial court sent shockwaves across the nation. Six accused were convicted for the crime but the alleged conspirator, renowned actor Deelip, got a clean chit.  It sparked widespread outrage and triggered feminist solidarity. The #Avalkoppam (We stand with her) movement brought together voices from across society. Leading actors such as Manju Warrier, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Rima Kallingal and many stood openly with the survivor, breaking a long-standing culture of silence in the film industry. What made the moment significant was how the support extended far beyond celebrities - students, women’s groups and citizens echoed the same message online and on the streets. Avalkoppam showed how women are enraged with gender-based violence inflicted upon them but they are not ready to give up.

The resistance of Women in Cinema Collective, led to the formation of Hema Committee to investigate the sexual harassment at workplace in Malayalam film industry. Though a lot of structural changes and justice to survivors are yet to be seen, the collective contributed to significant change in terms of legal frameworks put in place.