It ended in heartbreak eventually, but compared to the gains what is the magnitude of this heartbreak really?! This is the second time the Indian women have made it to the final of the World Cup, a tournament that has been won only by three teams – Australia, New Zealand and England. The Indian women have beaten all these three teams in this tournament. Unfortunately, hosts England, the team India thrashed in the opener, had the last laugh as Mithali Raj’s ladies fell agonisingly short of a rather modest total. But, the territory that we had rather focus on is the buzz about Indian women’s sports performances and it is a beautiful story – the number of Indians consistently talking about women’s sports is on the rise.
True, some of it is the glory-chasing jingoism of seasonal fans. Porush Jain, CEO and Founder of Sportskeeda, one of India’s most popular multi-sports websites says, “It’s not the first time that women in India have done well in sports. From PT Usha and Sania Mirza to Saina Nehwal, Mary Kom and PV Sindhu, women have won many laurels for the country. However, what lacks is the momentum. How many people know what Dipa Karmakar is up to, after her fabulous performance in the Olympics? Women sportspersons get their moment of glory and it stops there. That’s what needs to change.”
Musab Abid, sports columnist, reporter and editor, feels the Women’s World Cup has been an eye-opener. “It has not only produced a slew of thrilling matches showcasing the best of women’s cricket talent, but also demolished the myth that women’s cricket is not power-packed. With the big hitting capabilities of Harmanpreet Kaur having captured the imagination of the masses, this is the perfect time to take action. Give female cricketers better infrastructure. Publicise their tournaments more widely. Create dedicated coaching teams to harness the unique abilities of female cricketers at the grassroot level. The 2017 WC may not necessarily have been the ‘1983 moment’ that revolutionised the game but the officials and coaches, particularly those in India now have a never-seen-before base to build on.”
“Young girls have now found idols. The reception, which was promising could encourage many more girls to take up the sport,” says Kritika Naidu, a sports scribe. “The wave of change that their campaign has brought in terms of mere perception of the women’s sport in India has been stark,” she adds.
Mithali Raj has captured our imagination by becoming the first woman cricketer to go past 6000 ODI runs also breaking a world record with her seventh consecutive ODI 50. She is also a cult figure, a photo of her reading Rumi just before going in to bat, going viral online. Her quip against a sexist question from a reporter recently also garnered a lot of praise. One feels this time around women’s cricket might not end up being a victim of the average Indian cricket fan’s amnesia. They have done enough in recent times for that to not happen.
Game changer?
The financial incentives are definitely growing. The BCCI announcing a bonus of ₹50 lakh INR on the eve of the Final, irrespective of the outcome, is a welcome gesture, considering Grade A contract for women is worth ₹15 lakh INR. To put things into perspective Grade A, B and C contracts for men are worth 2 crore, 1 crore and 50 lakh INR respectively. But, a lot could change from here on.