Harmanpreet Kaur unveiled her wax statue in Jaipur on Friday, 13 November 2026, taking her place alongside Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni at the Jaipur Wax Museum in Nahargarh Fort. The honour follows her leading India to their first Women's ODI World Cup title, and she used the occasion to say the landscape of women's cricket is changing.

The statue was unveiled in Jaipur, Rajasthan, where Harmanpreet spoke to reporters and met young fans who had come to see the event. CricTracker reports that the statue stands alongside those of Tendulkar and former India men's captain Dhoni, two of the most celebrated figures in Indian cricket history.

A dream come true

Harmanpreet described the World Cup triumph as the fulfilment of a dream built over years of hard work. India won their first Women's ODI World Cup on 2 November 2025, beating South Africa by 52 runs in the final at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, with Harmanpreet herself taking the final catch to seal victory, dismissing Nadine de Klerk in the 46th over.

"For me, it was a very big achievement. I think it was the hard work of so many years, and there was always just one dream, to make India win the World Cup. And when we won it, a very big dream came true, and I'm sure that in the coming times, we will keep winning trophies like this," she told reporters.

With the victory, Harmanpreet became the first Indian woman to lift the ICC ODI World Cup as captain, and only the third Indian captain overall to achieve the feat. India had overcome three consecutive group-stage defeats during the tournament on their way to the final, including a win over Australia.

Standing alongside Tendulkar and Dhoni

Harmanpreet was candid about being placed alongside Tendulkar and Dhoni, calling it a major achievement while saying she still had a long way to go to reach their stature. "See, I think they are very great cricketers. I am still not at that level, but for me, it is a very big achievement that my statue is being made, and I'm sure that upcoming cricketers will get even more motivation from this and will be able to do well for the country," she said.

The statue will be displayed at the Historica Museum inside Nahargarh Fort, alongside figures of Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Dhoni, according to Inshorts. A large number of young fans and aspiring cricketers attended the unveiling, reflecting the growing profile of women's cricket in the country.

The 1983 parallel

At the Jaipur event, Harmanpreet drew a direct parallel between India's 2025 Women's ODI World Cup victory and the men's team's landmark 1983 World Cup win. She noted that the 1983 triumph fundamentally transformed the culture and reach of men's cricket in India, and expressed confidence that the women's title could have a similarly far-reaching effect.

"Yes, definitely. As we saw when India won the World Cup for the first time in '83, after that the whole landscape of men's cricket changed. Similarly, right now the landscape of women's cricket seems to be changing, and I'm sure this is just the beginning; in the coming times, we will do even better," she said.

Message to the next generation

Harmanpreet, who has handed over the India captaincy across formats to Smriti Mandhana and continues as a player, used the occasion to speak directly to the young fans present, encouraging them to dream big. "See, I think everyone should dream. When I started playing too, first of all, I had the biggest dream of representing the country," she said.

She also expressed hope that the next generation of women cricketers would follow the example of aggressive, high-impact performers, and play with the same intent at home and around the world. As Devdiscourse reports, she described the World Cup win as a dream come true and said the team would continue winning trophies in the future.