Year-Ender 2025: How Indian Women Rose To Occasion, Across Sports
The superlative performances of Indian women across sporting disciplines were a recurring theme in 2025. Time and again, while men's teams or players faltered, the women stepped up to make the nation proud. A big example of that was in cricket, where the men had a mixed year, but the women scripted an era-defining World Cup victory, while also clinching the Blind Women's T20 World Cup title. In chess, the 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh defeated veteran Koneru Humpy in an all-Indian FIDE Women's World Cup final to claim the title, and Vaishali Rameshbabu later won the Women's Grand Swiss for the second time in a row. In badminton, ace women's doubles pairing of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand successfully defended their Syed Modi International title in Lucknow, while the nation's women boxers claimed seven gold medals at the World Boxing Cup Finals.
In this image taken on Sept. 15, 2025, India's GM Vaishali Rameshbabu poses with her trophy after winning the FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss 2025, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Vaishali made it to the women’s Candidates tournament after a hard-fought draw against former world champion Zhongyi Tan of China. | Photo: FIDE/Michal Walusza via PTI
India’s Tanvi Sharma after winning silver medal in women’s singles category at the BWF World Junior Championships, at National Centre of Excellence, in Guwahati, Assam, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025. | Photo: PTI
India’s Simran celebrates after finishing third in the Women's 200m T12 Final event during the World Para Athletics Championships 2025, at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, in New Delhi, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. | Photo: PTI/Salman Ali
Gold medallist India's Sanjana Singh, silver medallist India's Seema and bronze medallist Nepal's Santoshi Shrestha during the felicitation ceremony after the Women's 5000 meter run at the 4th South Asian (SAAF) Senior Athletics Championships, in Ranchi, Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. | Photo: PTI
India’s Amandeep Kaur, center, and compatriot Thota Sankeertana with Sri Lanka’s Kodithuwakku Takshi after winning in the women’s 800m final event during the 4th South Asian (SAAF) Senior Athletics Championships, at the Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium, in Ranchi, Jharkhand, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. | Photo: PTI
In this image released on Sept. 14, 2025, members of the Indian women’s hockey team celebrate during the presentation ceremony after winning the silver medal in the Women’s Asia Cup, in Hangzhou, China. | Photo: @narendramodi/X via PTI
India’s Treesa Jolly, right, and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela pose with the medals after winning the women’s doubles final match at the Syed Modi International Super 300 badminton tournament, at Babu Banarasi Das Badminton Stadium, in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025. | Photo: PTI/Nand Kumar
In this image received on Nov. 15, 2025, Indian players celebrate after winning the Cricket for the Blind 2025 Women's T20 World Cup match against USA, in Bengaluru. | Photo: Handout via PTI
In this image received on Nov. 23, 2025, members of the Indian women team pose for photographs after winning the T20 blind women’s world cup, in Colombo. India on Sunday won the inaugural world cup after defeating Nepal by seven wickets in the final played at the P Sara oval. | Photo: Handout via PTI
Members of the Indian women's blind cricket team that won the inaugural Women's T20 World Cup for the Blind in Sri Lanka celebrate upon their arrival at a hotel, in Bengaluru, Karnataka, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. | Photo: PTI -
In this image released on Nov. 27, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi signs a ball for members of the Indian Women's Cricket Team for the Blind, who recently won the inaugural T20 World Cup, during a meeting in New Delhi. | Photo: PMO via PTI
In this image posted on Nov. 29, 2025, President Droupadi Murmu during an interaction with members of the Indian women's blind cricket team that won the inaugural Women's T20 World Cup for the Blind, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi. | Photo: @rashtrapatibhvn/X via PTI
94-year-old Pani Devi, who participated in the 23rd Asia Masters Athletics Championship held recently in Chennai for veteran athletes and won four gold medals, interacts with the media, in Bikaner, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. Yearenders 2025 Women in Sports-94-year-old Pani Devi 23rd Asia Masters Athletics Championship
India's Minakshi Hooda after being declared the winner in the women's 48kg final match against Uzbekistan's Farzona Fozilova at the World Boxing Cup Finals 2025, in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. | Photo: PTI/Gurinder Osan
Gold medallist India's Arundhati Choudhary poses during the felicitation ceremony after her victory in the women's 70kg final match at the World Boxing Cup Finals 2025, in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. | Photo: PTI/Gurinder Osan
India's Jaismine Lamboria celebrates after being declared the winner in the women’s 57kg final match against Chinese Taipei's Wu Shih Yi at the World Boxing Cup Finals 2025, in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. | Photo: PTI/Gurinder Osan
India's Jemimah Rodrigues with teammates celebrates after winning in the ICC Women's World Cup semifinal ODI cricket match between India Women and Australia Women, at the DY Patil Stadium, in Navi Mumbai, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. | Photo: PTI/Kunal Patil
India's captain Harmanpreet Kaur and others celebrate the wicket of Australia's captain Alyssa Healy during an ICC Women's World Cup semifinal ODI cricket match between India Women and Australia Women, at the DY Patil Stadium, in Navi Mumbai, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. | Photo: PTI/Kunal Patil
India’s coach Amol Muzumdar plants the Indian tricolour on the pitch after the team won the ICC Women's World Cup 2025, at the DY Patil Stadium, in Navi Mumbai, early Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. | Photo: PTI/Kunal Patil
India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur, left, and vice captain Smriti Mandhana hold the Indian tricolour as they celebrates after winning the ICC Women's World Cup final ODI cricket match between India Women and South Africa Women, at the DY Patil Stadium, in Navi Mumbai, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. | Photo: PTI/Kunal Patil
India's Shafali Verma celebrates her half century during the ICC Women's World Cup final ODI cricket match between India Women and South Africa Women, at the DY Patil Stadium, in Navi Mumbai, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. | Photo: PTI/Kunal Patil
President Droupadi Murmu with women's cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur during a meeting following the team's victory in the ODI World Cup, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. | Photo: PTI/Salman Ali
National women's cricket team members, front row from left, Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Renuka Singh and Uma Chetry with others during a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu following their victory in the ODI World Cup, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. | Photo: PTI/Salman Ali
Members of the Indian women’s cricket team pose with a car during a felicitation event, in Mumbai, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. Tata Motors honours the Indian women's cricket team for their historic World Cup win by gifting each player the first units of the newly launched Tata Sierra SUV. | Photo: PTI/Shashank Parade
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