logo
‘Unsung hero behind stars': Anand Mahindra reacts as Divya Deshmukh hugs mother after winning FIDE Women's World Cup

‘Unsung hero behind stars': Anand Mahindra reacts as Divya Deshmukh hugs mother after winning FIDE Women's World Cup

Indian Express10 hours ago
Nineteen-year-old chess player Divya Deshmukh emerged as the winner of the 2025 FIDE Women's World Cup by defeating Koneru Humpy in the tie-breaker match on Monday. Following this, Anand Mahindra, the Mahindra Group chairman who is known for his motivational posts on social media, dedicated a heartwarming post to Deshmukh.
Sharing a video of an emotional Deshmukh hugging her mother after winning the prestigious title of 'Grandmaster', Mahindra wrote, 'Divya Deshmukh, the Winner of the 2025 FIDE Women's World Cup. Through this victory she also achieves Grandmaster status. At the age of 19. And behind the Grandmaster is the caring mother…As always, the unsung hero behind many stars.'
The viral video shows Deshmukh interacting with the media after defeating Humpy.
Watch here:
Divya Deshmukh, the Winner of the 2025 FIDE Women's World Cup.
Through this victory she also achieves Grandmaster status.
At the age of 19.
And behind the Grandmaster is the caring mother…
As always, the unsung hero behind many stars…
pic.twitter.com/9AyeBBPbM5
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) July 28, 2025
Several social media users congratulated Deshmukh for her remarkable feat. 'There should be detailed interviews of her parents how such fine parenting is achieved for such unsung heroes,' a user wrote. 'Behind every rising star is often a silent pillar of strength a parent, a guide, a mother. Divya's triumph is not just a personal victory but a testament to the unwavering support of her mother and countless such heroes across India. Truly inspiring!' another user commented.
'What a proud moment for Indian chess. Divya Deshmukh has etched her name in history with this incredible win. The future looks so bright,' a third user reacted.
Speaking to FIDE's official broadcaster, Deshmukh reflected on her win. 'I was quite disappointed with the first game, obviously, because I saw everything and I just always ended up making the wrong choice, and it was quite a pity. The first game did not go my way, and even though it was a draw, it kind of felt like a loss,' she said.
'So I was just trying to recover, and today was considerably easier. I think I got myself into a mess for no reason. It should have been an easy draw. I got into trouble for no reason,' she added.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

India To Hand Debut To 26-Year-Old Star In Oval Test Against England: Report
India To Hand Debut To 26-Year-Old Star In Oval Test Against England: Report

NDTV

time25 minutes ago

  • NDTV

India To Hand Debut To 26-Year-Old Star In Oval Test Against England: Report

Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh is set to make his debut in the fifth and final Test against England at The Oval, starting July 31. The 26-year-old bowled at full tilt during India's optional training session on Tuesday, having recovered from an hand injury which had ruled him out of the Manchester Test last week. According to a report in the Times of India (TOI), Arshdeep was in the management's plan for the last two Tests, but his injury, which required stitches, ruled him out of the game. "It is understood that the management had him in the plans for the last two Tests, but his injury made him unavailable in Manchester. With Arshdeep very likely to get into the XI, India's bowling combination is set to be rejigged once again," the report said. The report added that Akash Deep, one of the heroes of India's famous win at Edgbaston, is also likely to return to the playing XI. " Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep are likely to be the other two seamers, and a late call could be taken, if needed, on Jasprit Bumrah." Meanwhile, Arshdeep's childhood coach Jaswant Rai feels the pacer is ready to take on the red ball challenge. "Playing red-ball cricket for the country is the ultimate dream of any cricketer. The same is with Arshdeep. Wo pak chuka hai (He is ripe now). He should get a chance to play with the red ball. He can bring the balance that India has been looking for so long. He has patiently done the hard yards, and I might sound biased, but he deserves the Test cap. If not in England, then where?" Jaswant told TOI. India forced a draw at Old Trafford in Manchester to stay hot on England's heels as the gruelling series heads towards its conclusion. Indian squad: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc, wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.

'OG Bad Boy': Hardik Pandya's Interaction With Hollywood Superstar Breaks Internet
'OG Bad Boy': Hardik Pandya's Interaction With Hollywood Superstar Breaks Internet

NDTV

time25 minutes ago

  • NDTV

'OG Bad Boy': Hardik Pandya's Interaction With Hollywood Superstar Breaks Internet

Indian cricket team all-rounder Hardik Pandya 's interaction on social media with Hollywood superstar Will Smith has gone viral. Hardik posted a selfie on his Instagram account that quickly got popular among his followers. However, among the many comments, one was from Will Smith who decided to post a 'salute' emoji. Hardik responded with a similar emoji and wrote - 'OG Bad Boy'. It was in reference to Will Smith's popular film 'Bad Boys' which released back in 1995 and became a massive hit. Earlier, Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya met Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai on Sunday. Sharing a post on X, Radhakrishnan expressed his delight after meeting both the players and said, "Delighted to meet our respected Indian Cricket Team Players Shri. @hardikpandya7 Ji and Shri. @krunalpandya24 Ji today at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai on a courtesy meet. My best wishes." Hardik Pandya, after a successful stint as captain of the Gujarat Titans, returned to the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. He took GT to secure their first maiden IPL title in 2022, and finished as runners-up in the following year. He returned to MI in 2024, where he had a tough outing. MI failed to qualify for the IPL playoffs. In 2025, IPL Pandya took MI to the Qualifier 2, where Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer led from the front as PBKS completed a convincing chase to beat MI by five wickets, thus booking their place in the final of IPL 2025 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Krunal Pandya was named Player of the Match in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 18th edition final against Punjab Kings. Krunal, who Bengaluru acquired for Rs 5.75 crore, unleashed every weapon from his fully-loaded arsenal in the high-stakes final and left the spectators spellbound and returning with figures of 2/17 in his four-over spell. He single-handedly broke the backbone of Punjab's attempt to hunt down the 191-run target and steered Bengaluru to a six-run triumph and RCB's first IPL trophy victory. In his memorable outing, Krunal returned with the priceless scalps of Prabhsimran Singh (26) and Josh Inglis (39) to derail Punjab's attempts to chase the target. (WIth ANI inputs)

Finland Cricketer Mahesh Tambe Makes History, Scalps Fastest-Ever T20 Fifer In Just 8 Balls
Finland Cricketer Mahesh Tambe Makes History, Scalps Fastest-Ever T20 Fifer In Just 8 Balls

NDTV

time25 minutes ago

  • NDTV

Finland Cricketer Mahesh Tambe Makes History, Scalps Fastest-Ever T20 Fifer In Just 8 Balls

Cricket history has been made in a match between Finland and Estonia. Finnish bowler Mahesh Tambe scripted the record for the fastest five-wicket haul in the history of T20I cricket, doing so in the space of just eight balls. Tambe took wickets on the third, fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth deliveries of his spell, also completing a sensational hattrick in the process. Tambe broke the record of Bahrain's Junaid Aziz, who held the previous record of taking a five-wicket haul in 10 deliveries. Introduced into the attack in the 17th over, Tambe dismissed Estonian batters Sahil Chauhan, Muhammad Usman Sr and Steffan Gooch in the first over of his spell. Tambe then came back to bowl the 19th over, dismissing Rupam Baruah and Pranay Gheewala in the first two balls to claim his hattrick and the record for the fastest five-wicket haul. Tambe's fiery spell helped Finland bowl Estonia out for 141, a target which was then chased down with eleven balls to spare. Fastest five-wicket hauls in T20I cricket: 8 balls: Mahesh Tambe (Finland) vs Estonia, 2025* 10 balls: Junaid Aziz (Bahrain) vs Germany, 2022 11 balls: Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) vs Ireland, 2017 11 balls: Moazzam Baig (Malawi) vs Cameroon, 2024 11 balls: Khizer Hayat (Malaysia) vs Hong Kong, 2020 Meanwhile, the attention of the cricket world has been caught by the heated spat between India head coach Gautam Gambhir and the pitch curator of The Oval Lee Fortis, ahead of the fifth and final Test between India and England. Gambhir was on Tuesday heard telling Fortis "you don't tell any of us what we need to do, you have no right to tell us, you are just a groundsman nothing beyond" while pointing fingers at the chief curator. In response Fortis was heard saying "I will have to report this." In the presence of 10 squad members minus captain Shubman Gill, the training session in the field of play was going on as usual until Gambhir blasted Fortis, who is not the "easiest person to work with" despite winning ECB's best multi-day pitches award for the last three years. India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak tried to douse the fire by taking Fortis away from Gambhir, who was visibly angry with the chief curator. Later, Kotak explained what really happened in the middle. "When we went to take a look at the wicket the coaches were there, someone came to us and said 'stand 2.5 metres away', which was little surprising. Day after there is a Test match, we had our joggers on not spike and it felt a bit awkward. I have never seen anything like that in my life. "The Indian players had told me that he is not the easiest person to work with. Now you all know. It is okay to be protective and possessive about this pitch but not to this extent," said Kotak.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store