November In Review: Indian Women Become First-Time World Champs; Contrasting Results For National Football Teams

If you are an Indian sports faithful, you know you are in for a topsy-turvy ride at most times. Triumphs in some sports are routinely followed by heartbreaks in others, and promising news developments are interspersed with setbacks of various kinds. November 2025 was no different.

The month began with India lifting their maiden ICC Women's World Cup title to set off nationwide celebrations, then saw the national football team suffer a humiliating 0-1 defeat to Bangladesh, before ending with the inimitable Virat Kohli hitting his 52nd ODI century in another innings for the ages.

Let us recap all that transpired in the world of sports across disciplines in the month that went by:

Cricket

Women's World Cup Glory

Having vanquished the formidable Australia in the semis, India defeated a spirited South Africa by 52 runs in the final to complete a historic, unprecedented victory in the Women's World Cup. Opener Shafali Verma, who replaced the injured Pratika Rawal late in the tournament, starred with a 78-ball 87 and two crucial wickets to be named Player of the Match. All-rounder Deepti Sharma was adjudged Player of the Series for her 22 wickets and 215 runs.

South Africa Test Series Ignominy

The men's team, on the other hand, slumped to an embarrassing 0-2 Test series whitewash at home against the Proteas. After losing the opener at a spin-friendly Eden Gardens by 30 runs, India faced a 408-run thrashing in Guwahati — their biggest Test defeat by runs.

The defeat raised questions about Gautam Gambhir's future as head coach, which intensified when Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli together shone upon return to the international fold in the first ODI, which India won by 17 runs in Ranchi.

Aussies Boss Ashes Opener

Over in Perth, Australia defeated England inside two days in the first Ashes Test to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. The Aussies completed a chase of a 205-run target in just 28.2 overs, losing two wickets in the bargain. The win was shaped by Mitchell Starc's devastating pace bowling and Travis Head's blistering century in the fourth innings.

Football

Senior Team's Abject Loss

India suffered their first defeat against Bangladesh in 22 years, going down 0-1 to the home side in an inconsequential Group C match of the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers in Dhaka. India thus finished last in a qualifying group with Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Singapore, nations with more modest resources and far smaller pools of players.

Youngsters' Heartwarming Feat

In sharp contrast to the senior men's team's abject failure earlier, the India U17 men's football team sealed its AFC Under-17 Asian Cup 2026 berth. The Blue Colts beat Asian youth football powerhouse Iran 2-1 in Ahmedabad to qualify. India will thus be headed to the continental showpiece for the 10th time. They also become the fourth Indian football team to make the Asia Cup cut this year after the senior women’s side, the U20 women’s outfit and the U17 women’s team.

Domestic Crisis Deepens

The Indian Super League showed no signs of revival, with the stalemate persisting and the Union sports ministry being asked to intervene. Months after the country's top-tier league was suspended, the state of clubs, footballers and other stakeholders remained precarious in November.

The latest update was that sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya will reportedly hold a meeting with the All India Football Federation (AIFF), its former commercial partner Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), and major clubs on Wednesday (December 3) to address the crisis and look for a resolution.

Elsewhere...

Arsenal maintained their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table, while Barcelona took a one-point lead at the top of the La Liga standings after beating Alaves 3-1. Meanwhile, Brazilian club Flamengo defeated fellow Brazilian side Palmeiras 1-0 in Lima, Peru, to win their fourth Copa Libertadores title, becoming Brazil's most successful team in the competition's history.

Hockey

The Indian men's team finished as runners-up in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, going down fighting 0-1 in the final against Belgium in Ipoh, Malaysia. Their junior counterparts registered strong victories in their first two FIH Junior World Cup matches, including a 17-0 thrashing of Oman.

Badminton

India's ace women's doubles pairing of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand successfully defended their Syed Modi International title, winning the gold medal in Lucknow. Kidambi Srikanth reached the men's singles final before losing 21-16, 8-21, 22-20 to Jason Gunawan in the title clash.

Tennis

The second-ranked Jannik Sinner beat top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (4), 7-5 for the ATP Finals trophy in the sixth meeting this year between the two players who are dominating men’s tennis. Elena Rybakina won the WTA Finals after producing a nearly flawless performance to beat No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka.

Later on, a Sinner-less Italy beat an Alcaraz-less Spain in the final to win the Davis Cup for the third consecutive year.

Boxing

Hosts India produced a strong performance at the World Boxing Cup Finals in Greater Noida, signing off with nine gold, six silver and five bronze medals. India finished with at least a medal in all 20 weight categories, with the women claiming seven gold medals.

Formula One

The fight for the drivers' championship title stayed alive, going into the finale in Abu Dhabi. Max Verstappen won his seventh Formula One race of the season in Doha, cruising to victory in the Qatar Grand Prix at the Lusail International Circuit. The Qatar win meant Verstappen jumped to second (396 points) behind Lando Norris (408 points), with Oscar Piastri not far behind in third at 392 points.

A lot more is in store in December 2025, with the Premier League, The Ashes and the South Africa cricket tour of India to continue and the Hockey India League coming up.