India’s stunning 17 run victory over Australia put the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup above all other cricket action on Friday. A modest score of 134 looked indefensible against the reigning champions, but India fought back in sterling fashion to win a tense match.
In a tri-series competition leading into the World Cup, India had been upstaged by Australia in the final, losing by 11 runs. Apart from home advantage therefore, even the momentum was with the Aussies when the two teams met in Sydney on Friday.
At the innings changeover, India looked to be in the dumps. Runs on the board seemed inadequate, and the Australian batting had looked in very good form in the tri-series. In the event, the turnaround that followed was highly unexpected and therefore enthralling.
Pint-sized leggie Poonam Yadav spun a web around the Aussie batters, claiming 4 wickets for just 19 runs. Her stellar performance perked up the other bowlers and fielders, and India were able to snatch a dramatic win that left players emotionally drained and fans in disbelief.
This was just the ‘big bang’ start the Women’s World Cup was hoping for. The ICC has pitched the tournament very high for this edition with a slew of initiatives propagating it. What could be better than a cliffhanger of sorts between the two strongest teams in the opening match itself?
The final of the tournament will be played on March 8, which is also International Women’s Day. The scheduling of the tournament has been well thought out and the day of the final has been chosen to highlight gender sensitization.
That apart, there’s also the box office aspect that has to be considered. Every major sports event today is high-stakes business. If attendances are good at the World Cup matches, it can grow in the interest of sponsors and broadcasters for the future.
The ICC and Cricket Australia (as host nation) are pulling out all stops to make the World Cup a huge success. Among the wish list of things they would like to see happen is an India-Australia final on March 8.
This is without malice to other teams, and for the faster growth of women’s cricket, I am informed by some associated with the ongoing World Cup. A home team will obviously attract audiences, and India provides the most ‘eyeballs’.
It’s a win-win situation scenario, but this does not mean that other teams have come to the World Cup as also-rans. Sure, Australia and India are the two best sides on form, but the road to the final has many hurdles. Harmanpreet Kaur and Co have to be consistently good to reach there.
That said, what’s commendable and a matter of delight is how rapidly India’s women cricketers have climbed the ranks to be a topnotch side in the world. Largely, this has become possible after women’s cricket came under the BCCI umbrella.
There was always good talent in the country. Shantha Rangaswamy, Diana Edulji, Shubhangi Khapre, Fouzia Khaleeli etc, who played 30-35 years back, were all world class, but suffered from lack of facilities, encouragement and finance.
I’ve seen these wonderful cricketers run around trying to raise their own money to play tournament, travel third class in trains, stay 3-4 to a room to pursue their passion. It was extremely difficult for women cricketers of that era, but it is their commitment and diligence which has made things so much better for players today.
Women’s cricket got assimilated into the BCCI when Sharad Pawar was president, and since then its been a wonderful journey upwards. There is healthy livelihood possible now, including central contracts, but more importantly, opportunities to play far more international matches and tournaments.
This experience has made players get better, and in turn inspire more young girls to take to the game. Some of the finest exponents and stars today come from India: Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Poonam Yadav, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma to name a few.
Interest in women’s cricket is growing by leaps and bounds, and a title win in this World Cup could trigger mania in the country, just as the 1983 triumph did for men’s cricket.
Here’s wishing them the best!
