Spot on! Ex-IND coach turns astrologer; wild World Cup prediction comes true

NEW DELHI: "Mark my words... Australia volition suffer lone 1 lucifer successful the Women's World Cup — to India successful the semifinals! India volition triumph this tournament" - that’s what erstwhile India women’s squad fielding manager Biju George boldly predicted connected societal media connected October 26 — good earlier the semifinal lineup was adjacent decided.George, who served arsenic India’s fielding manager betwixt 2017 and 2019, soon started getting calls aft his post. Some friends laughed disconnected his prediction, others questioned it, and a fewer scoffed - “India volition win? Are you kidding me?”

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But George stayed calm and composed — and waited. His words turned prophetic arsenic India stunned Australia successful the semifinals, chasing a grounds full to scope the final, and past defeated South Africa successful the rubric clash to assistance their maiden ODI World Cup trophy."I privation betting was ineligible successful India — I could’ve enactment immoderate money, similar 10–15 days back, and cleared disconnected immoderate of my debts," a laughing George told TimesofIndia.com successful an exclusive interview."I knew we were winning this tourney 150% due to the fact that I saw the pattern. See, beingness is afloat of patterns, and arsenic a coach, you look for patterns. I knew we would win. I said, ‘Australia — decidedly we are going to win,’ and radical were ridiculing me.

In fact, if you look astatine my societal media post, 1 of them tried to propulsion my leg, asking maine what I’d bash if I were a coach. I said, ‘Take a remainder the time earlier the lucifer and nonstop Jemi 1 down.’ And that’s what happened," helium said."The adjacent day, I wrote again that ‘This cupful is for India to suffer and South Africa to win.’ They didn’t recognize the grammar — they thought I was predicting India would lose. The meaning was — lone if India did thing precise anserine would we suffer this.

There was nary mode we were going to lose.""It was content successful the team. I saw the squad evolving, coming together. It was not a solo effort — it was a chorus, everybody getting unneurotic and contributing each around. India had this occupation successful finishing matches, but present with Deepti (Sharma) and Richa (Ghosh) doing truly well, the process extremity of the crippled was sorted out. So that made maine 150% definite we were going to triumph this," helium said.

Harmanpreet steps retired of the shadows of legends

Harmanpreet Kaur was portion of the 2017 World Cup, erstwhile India — led by Mithali Raj — fell agonizingly abbreviated successful the final, losing to England by 9 runs.

Alongside Mithali, seasoned pacer Jhulan Goswami, Veda Krishnamurthy, Smriti Mandhana, Sushma Verma, Shikha Pandey, Poonam Yadav, Punam Raut, and Rajeshwari Gayakwad were each portion of that heartbreaking defeat. India came truthful close, yet missed the crown — a coiled that inactive hasn’t healed for George.Only 3 players from that 2017 heartbreak — Harmanpreet, Deepti, and Mandhana — were portion of the 2025 final, wherever they yet etched their names successful past arsenic India lifted their first-ever Women’s World Cup.

On being asked astir Harmanpreet Kaur’s quality to look from the shadows of large stars, George said, "Even with Mithali around, Poonam astir — Harman was, successful white-ball cricket, the amended subordinate among each these people. Mithali utilized to beryllium the Jemimah of that clip — she was the 1 cog astir which the squad revolved. But Harman could instrumentality it distant from you successful an instant.""And I’m fortunate — I’ve ne'er seen a amended innings than the 1 she played against Australia successful Derby.

Cold, rainy time — Harman destroyed them with 171 (vs Australia successful the 2017 semis), and I don’t deliberation women’s cricket volition ever spot thing similar that again," helium said."Earlier, Harman utilized to judge that she had to triumph the lucifer each by herself. Now, she knows she’s got radical similar Richa, Deepti, Jemi, Smriti, Rawal, Shafali, Amanjot — who tin triumph the match, who tin beryllium match-winners too. That takes immense unit disconnected her. So that means she is near free, like, good — ‘I cognize I tin instrumentality it deep; determination are radical who tin travel and cleanable up.’

That’s good," helium said.

Good fielding wins you matches

After the 2017 World Cup heartbreak, the emergence of players similar Jemimah Rodrigues took India’s fielding standards to different level. On respective occasions, some Jemimah and Deepti Sharma person credited George for raising the barroom successful fielding and teaching the squad the creation of being a ‘live wire’ connected the field.Even successful the 2025 final, India’s sharpness successful the tract stood out.After posting 298 for 7 successful 50 overs, the squad didn’t let South Africa to find the bound easy successful the aboriginal overs, gathering immense unit connected the opposition.South Africa could negociate lone 33 for nary nonaccomplishment successful the archetypal 7 overs, hitting conscionable 4 boundaries and a six. Such was India’s strength successful the tract — it felt arsenic if they had spun a web astir the South African openers.

"Jemi, Radha, Arundhati — superb fielders, a pleasance to enactment with, a privilege. These radical — if you’re a goldsmith, you request golden to enactment with.As a fielding coach, erstwhile you person radical similar Jemi and Aru, acceptable to propulsion their bodies connected the line, descent around, consenting to larn and effort everything — that is good," George said.

"Jemi has enactment it connected grounds galore times, crediting maine for transforming her arsenic a fielder. She besides has a representation with her close and near hands each bandaged up, each swollen, aft a fewer sessions with me. That was successful 2017 oregon 2018 — she inactive has that picture; erstwhile successful a while, she sends it to me, saying, ‘Look what you had done to me!’" the erstwhile fielding manager said.