Women’s World Cup Dr Harini Muralidharan, team India’s doctor speaks about the victory and her experience

On the night of November 2 when South Africa was 53 anxious runs away from a shot at the Women’s World Cup, Nadine de Klerk who was at the crease, tossed a ball that India’s Deepti Sharma had bowled. Silence ensued. That was until Harmanpreet Kaur swooped in for a catch, helping her team cement arguably one of cricket’s most cinematic moments in Indian sporting history.

Everything changed at that moment. Harini Priyadharshini Muralidharan, team doctor, and 33-year-old Chennai resident, was witnessing, and eventually partaking in the enormous victory.

“The dugout was tense. Everyone.. every single person there was praying. By the ninth wicket, we had somewhat known that we were going to win. It is that kind of excitement where it is too early to jump up and celebrate. But when the moment happened, all we wanted to do was hug and cry, so that is what we did. Then, the running into the field happened,” says Dr Harini.

Although it has only been a year since Harini has been part of the team, she says that she is excited to be on tour, and has felt a camaraderie with the team and the players. This victory signals a reaffirmation of the phrase “right place at the right time,” she says.

Indian players celebrate with the trophy after winning the Final match of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 between India and South Africa at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, India, on November 2, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
Photo: Vipin Pawar / CREIMAS for BCCI

Back in 2017, Harini, who comes from a long line of doctors, says that she was unsure about her specialisation. That is when her father suggested that she take up Sports Medicine, a career different from the norm. “I reached out to Basu Shanker [an Indian performance coach], who said that in order to enter this field, I needed to have tried my hand at it. Which is why I began interning with him,” she says.

After a year with him and recognising that this was her forte, the young professional flew to London to pursue her Master’s in Exercise Medicine at Queen Mary University. She returned when COVID’s first wave had just begun. “It was chaos,” she says, adding that the COVID years were quiet, and subsequently filled with applications to several places for jobs. “I must have sent out at least 100 CVs,” she says.

Eventually, Basu, who was working with the Royal Challengers, Bengaluru, put her in touch with senior members of the team, who eventually recruited her after interviews and conversations. “It was wild to work with the men’s and women’s team. The aim however, for anyone in this field, is to eventually work with the national team. When that call came, I didn’t even think of saying ‘no’,” she says.

Over the length of the World Cup, Harini says that she spends at least four to five hours in the treatment room. “The main focus in sports medicine is injury management. There are several expert physiotherapists and masseuses who are recruited to the team for this purpose. I come in when one needs to deal with a big injury. Everyone stays in their own lanes. Sometimes at physiotherapy, when a player brushes aside a problem that might be a potential problem later, I ensure I take a look. The team here however, has been working with girls for years now. It is a lot of excellent work that has been put in,” she says.

When asked if there are any incidents from the tournament that Harini would like to recount, she says, “I’m sure there’s many but most have been eclipsed by the victory,” she says. “I do miss my son though,” she adds.

The doctor says that people often forget to look at the kind of work that goes behind making a champion. It is not just physical but also mental. “To witness the work put in has honestly been grounding. This [win] has made a noise so loud that I think society is willing to stop and let these girls do what they want to. That is the kind of impact sports has,” she concludes.