June 2017 will always be remembered in Indian cricketing history as the month that women’s cricket was reborn. On June 24, Smriti Mandhana’s rollicking 90 against hosts England set the tone for Indian team’s campaign in the ICC Women’s World Cup. It also set the foundation for the women’s team stamping its presence on the psyche of every Indian cricket fan. They will not be ignored any longer.
Mamatha Maben, former India all-rounder from Bengaluru, who has played in four Tests, 40 ODIs and the 1993 World Cup, is the chief coach of the RX Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. “Girls are coming up to me and saying that they wanted to play like Smiriti Mandhana. Another said that she will, one day, open with Smriti Mandhana,” she told THE WEEK.
If 20-year-old Mandhana, from Sangli, Maharashtra, sparked the interest of fans at home, then Harmanpreet Kaur slammed her way into the hearts of every Indian with her masterful 171 off 115 balls in the semi-final against Australia.
Comparisons flowed in on how Kaur’s pulverising innings was similar to Kapil Dev’s 175 against Zimbabwe at Turnbridge Wells in the 1983 World Cup.
Both players single-handedly decimated the opposition; both were crucial to India’s further march in the World Cup. Indeed, both played in teams considered underdogs when it came to being title contenders. And yes, both are perfect examples of the quintessential north Indian cricketer, wearing their hearts on their sleeves, showcasing their inherent daredevilry with batting proficiency. The comparisons, however, should end there.
Kapil came in when India was in a precarious position, with half its batsmen back in the dressing room at a scoreline of 17-5.
Harmanpreet’s innings snuffed out any threat that six-time champions Australia posed. It was a mentally destroying knock. It had no precedence. It took the entire women’s cricket to different level.
Smriti Mandhana, Poonam Raut, Veda Krishnamurthy, Ekta Bisht, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Deepti Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur—in every match India has produced a different star. Until the start of the ICC Women’s World Cup in June, the most popular ambassadors of women’s cricket in India were skipper Mithali Raj and bowler Jhulan Goswami. But things have changed. And how.
The women’s cricketing community in India is actually not surprised that India has done well in this World Cup. It has reached the finals before—in 2005. Yet, the manner in which India won its matches has been a revelation for all.
Shanta Rangaswamy, India’s first Test captain and former chairman of selection committee, said, “The performance does not come as a surprise, but look at the impact the team created on psyche of Indian fans. Hope this interest increases manifold, because women’s cricket needs support from fans..Only then will more girls take to the game and the pool of players widen. BCCI must nurture talent.”
Terming the Indian campaign as pathbreaking, Maben said, “the manner in which we have thumped the opposition has been surprising. The batting aspect, the way our team made a statement, this alone should galvanise women’s cricket in India. We should not sit on this.”
Both mentioned the gap between the event publicity and its engagement with Indian fans. How it has had a positive impact. “The buzz is so much more now in the press and electronic media. The girls have gotten great mileage out of it.”
What has also been key to the team’s impactful performance is the overall batting effort. Rangaswamy says, “Our bowling was always great. Our batting, traditionally, was the issue. For far too long, we have been dependent on one or two batters—be it Sandhya Aggarwal, Anjum Chopra, Mithali Raj or me. This time, we have had contributions by more than one batswoman.”
Mandhana and Kaur have played in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) in Australia. Their batting, classic and versatile, has been the main attraction of the game. “Harmanpreet has gone to the next level after exposure in the WBBL,” observes Maben.
The demand for a women’s IPL is gaining ground. “IPL has changed things in men’s cricket. Women’s T20 league has been launched in Australia, England and West Indies. Surprisingly, BCCI has not warmed to the idea yet,” said Rangaswamy.
There is unanimity in the cricket fraternity that the BCCI has to use this opportunity to focus more on the development of women’s game in India. The merger of men's and women’s cricket associations was only on paper, till approximately five years ago. The BCCI bosses and state association officials either didn’t want to get women’s cricket or were hesitant to.
While facilities for senior women’s national team has improved and the BCCI has taken to conducting u-19 and u-23 competitions, the issue of girls dropping out after a few years due to lack of career options has become huge. “Despite all odds, women’s cricket has come up. The rewards of this success must trickle down. We need a good structure so that we can retain talent. Grassroots cricket coaching in schools and colleges must be looked into. Women’s cricket has to be taken seriously,” said Maben.
