New Delhi. Indian women ended 2025 with several historic achievements in cricket, hockey, Deaflympics, Para sports and other sports on the global stage. From world titles in ODI cricket, chess and boxing to continental success in hockey and a historic first in blind women’s cricket, Indian women players not only won medals but also expanded the scope and identity of women’s sports across the country.
Later this year, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian women’s cricket team produced a historic performance by defeating South Africa by 52 runs to win its first ICC Women’s ODI World Cup title. This was a defining moment for the sport in the country. Individually, Smriti Mandhana crossed the landmark of scoring 4,000 runs in T20 Internationals, becoming the first Indian woman to do so and demonstrating the increasing depth, consistency and professionalism in Indian women’s cricket.
Apart from this, the Indian Blind Women’s team won the title by defeating Nepal by seven wickets in the first Blind Women’s T-20 World Cup played in Colombo. Under the leadership of Deepika TC, the Indian visually impaired team performed strongly against six countries Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia and America and registered a spectacular victory in the final played in Colombo on 23 November. Indian women’s team’s star all-rounder Deepti Sharma made many records in her name with her historic performance in the third T-20 International against Sri Lanka. In this match, along with the achievement of becoming the third player to take the most wickets in women’s international cricket, she also achieved the feat of completing the double of 1000 runs and 150 wickets in the same format. She is the first Indian cricketer to achieve this feat in both the formats (men and women).
One of the biggest individual achievements this year came in chess, where Divya Deshmukh created history by winning the FIDE Women’s World Cup in July, becoming the first Indian woman to win the prestigious global title. Her victory reaffirmed India’s growing dominance in world chess and also showed the rise of a new generation of women players making their mark at the international level.
Indian women boxers maintained their dominance at the World Boxing Championships 2025 and won several medals. Jasmine Lamboria and Meenakshi Hooda won gold medals in their respective weight categories, Nupur Sheoran won silver and Pooja Rani won a bronze medal for India. Two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen continued her consistency with another successful international season. Due to which India’s depth and strength in women’s boxing in different weight categories was further strengthened.
Jyoti Yaraji produced a stellar performance by winning the women’s 100m hurdles gold at the Asian Athletics Championships, making her one of Asia’s top hurdlers. Rupal Chaudhary added to India’s medal tally by winning a silver in the women’s 400m race, and then also played a key role in the gold-winning 4x400m relay team. This shows India’s growing influence and competitiveness in track events. Good results were also achieved in archery and shooting this year. Jyoti Surekha Vennam won a bronze medal at the Archery World Cup Final in the compound category, a first for India in the last competition of the big season.
In shooting, Tejaswini won gold in the women’s 25m pistol at the ISSF Junior World Cup, showcasing the strength of India’s emerging talent in precision sports.
In team sports, women’s hockey had a strong campaign on the continent. Indian women’s hockey team won silver medal at Women’s Asia Cup 2025 in Hangzhou. The Indian team finished second after losing 1-4 to host China in the final.
Navneet Kaur scored for India in the very first minute of the title match, while goals from Ou Jixia, Li Hong, Xue Meirong and Zhong Jiaqi sealed the championship for the home team. India’s overall performance, including its impressive win earlier in the tournament, reaffirmed its position among the top women’s hockey teams in Asia. Indian women athletes also played a key role in India’s most successful campaign at the Deaflympics 2025, winning several medals in shooting and golf.
Anusha Prasad won gold in the women’s 10m air pistol, setting a Deaflympics final record. Pranjali Prashant Dhumal won gold in the women’s 25m pistol and 10m air pistol mixed team events, as well as a silver in the individual 10m air pistol. Diksha Dagar won another gold in women’s individual golf. India could win a record medal due to the excellent performance of the women’s category.
Indian women athletes also made their mark in Para sports and performed brilliantly at the World Para Athletics Championships 2025. Simran Sharma led the way by winning gold in the women’s 100m T12 and silver in the 200m T12, while Preeti Pal added to India’s medal tally by winning a silver in the 100m T35 and a bronze in the 200m T35. This reflects the ever-increasing success of Indian women in para athletics.
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