One Trophy, Many Dreams: India Women Cricket Team's Road to 2026 Supremacy

Updated: December 25, 2025 13:15

Image Source: Amar Ujala

Riding on their maiden ICC Women’s ODI World Cup triumph at home, India’s women’s team heads into 2026 with unprecedented belief and a busier, more demanding calendar. The focus now shifts from history-making glory to sustaining excellence across formats, strengthening bench depth and chasing a twin dream: T20 World Cup and Test dominance.

India’s 2025 ODI World Cup win was more than a trophy; it was a reset button for women’s cricket in the country. As the euphoria settles, 2026 is being framed not as an after-party, but as the beginning of India’s long reign at the top.

Key highlights

Legacy of a landmark World Cup
- India lifted their first-ever ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, beating South Africa by 52 runs in the Navi Mumbai final, powered by Shafali Verma’s 87 and Deepti Sharma’s all-round brilliance.
- The title, secured on home soil, has transformed the team from perennial contenders to standard-setters, with expectations now firmly aligned with sustained global dominance.
Roadmap: Australia and England tours
- India begin 2026 with a full tour of Australia from February 15 to March 9, featuring three T20Is, three ODIs and a day-night Test in Perth – their first big test as world champions overseas.
- A high-stakes T20I series in England from late May will serve as the final dress rehearsal before the T20 World Cup, sharpening skills in tough away conditions.
T20 World Cup ambitions
- The team’s next marquee goal is the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, where India are grouped with Pakistan, South Africa, Australia and two qualifiers in a brutally competitive pool.
- Senior voices like Deepti Sharma have already underlined that every training block and bilateral series in 2026 will be aligned to peaking in June–July for this event.
Building depth and a new culture
- The World Cup run, combined with India’s U19 and A-team successes, has widened the talent pipeline and intensified the push for a more robust domestic ecosystem.
- Coaches and administrators are advocating more game-time, better contracts and upgraded infrastructure to ensure the 2025 triumph becomes a launchpad, not a one-off spike.