Indian Women's Glory night

It was absolutely electrifying at the D.Y. Patil stadium on 2^nd Nov when Harman ran back to catch Nadine De Klerk who was trying to clear the in-field after 3 dot balls against Deepti Sharma. It was a moment that the whole stadium had been anticipating since 2 overs, and when it came the spectators went berserk. India had won the World Cup. It did not matter that it was the women’s team and not the men’s team. The only thing that mattered was India are the new World Champions. The happiness was at par with what would have been if the men had lifted the trophy. This win carried forward the Indian dominance at ICC events post victorious campaigns at T20 World Cup 2024, Women’s U-19 T20 World Cup 2025, and Champions Trophy 2025.

I am sure everyone watched or followed the match. I was one of the lucky few to witness history being created from the stadium itself hence I can share the energy I felt. The match started at 5 pm instead of the scheduled time of 3 pm due to rains. Initially I was frustrated but then I just wanted that once the match starts, it won’t be interrupted. Thankfully, the rain stayed away once the action began. During those 2 hours of delay, I could see some people sitting with umbrellas, waiting patiently while some were visibly frustrated but it was all only to see our girls play.

SA’s decision to field first in a big game like final did surprise me. Probably the slightly overcast conditions influenced that. But I also feel that there was a fear in their heads because of what India had done a couple of days ago against the mighty Aussies. Chasing 340 is not easy and that too against the Kangaroos is even more magnanimous. Their might have been a feeling in the SA camp that India will be very confident if asked to chase as the chasing momentum was with them. By all means this is just a speculation but somehow, I do feel it might have been a factor. SA had won the SF while defending. India’s chase of 340 in a SF might be an aberration. And in a big game, runs on the board are a definite advantage, so I was happy that India would be defending.

I will be honest and admit that I have seldom liked Shafali Verma’s batting. When it is her day, she can take the game away from the opposition but otherwise I have felt the lack of maturity in her game. It has always felt like she can bat only one way. But I was pleasantly surprised to see her inning as she showed a lot of maturity, variety, and conviction in her batting. She batted long enough to convince many doubters including me that she has evolved. Along with her, Smriti, Deepti, and Richa played handy knocks to take India to 298 which prima facie felt around 20-25 runs short. The pitch was beautiful to bat on but India failed to get the final push at the closing stages. Although being the 2^nd highest score in a Women’s World Cup final, I felt it was short because the dew tends to impact the 2^nd inning at Navi Mumbai as well as India’s bowling and fielding tends to crumble under pressure. But as the chase began, I felt a different energy in the fielders. Everyone was throwing themselves around on the field. I always have a complaint regarding India’s fielding which has been visibly poor throughout this tournament as well. But on the day of the final, when it mattered the most, India’s ground fielding was the best I have seen them field in the past year. Possible singles were stopped and potential doubles were kept down to singles. Multiple boundaries were avoided as well. I was thrilled to see that energy. Renuka Thakur in the powerplay while Sree Charani and Deepti in the middle overs were brilliant with their accuracy, drying up runs and taking the asking run-rate higher with each passing over. Deepti also picked up a fifer making her the joint highest wicket taker in a single edition of WOWC. But it was Shafali yet again with a memorable spell picking two crucial wickets in the form Luus and Kapp. I was surprised to see her being given the ball but I thought it was due to her having a good day with the bat. Even Harman felt that it was Shafali’s day and on your good days, you have superpowers. Shafali, on Sunday, had superpowers. Maybe it was her extra slowness that deceived the batters. Whatever the reason, she was very effective in keeping a lid on the scoring rate.

Although in a losing cause, Laura Wolvaardt scored a brilliantly paced century. She was nearly flawless during her stay at the crease and did not give a single chance until she was dismissed courtesy a juggling take by Amanjot. She was in complete control, and when she was out there, SA had a realistic chance. The Indian players as well as the fans in the stadium breathed a little better the moment Amanjot held on to that chance. Sadly, she did not get any substantial support and it was too much for her to do individually with the asking rate climbing regularly. Once she was dismissed, it became very difficult for new batters to maintain the run-rate against the disciplined spin duo of Sree and Deepti. It was only a matter of time until India were crowned World Champions.

For the first time I felt as if this team performed collectively, not depending upon individual brilliances but on a cohesive effort. Each and every player made significant contributions across all 3 departments and that is the reason why India deserved to win the title clash. Seeing Indian Women finally scale the pinnacle was wonderful. It was even more heart-warming to see how gracefully this team celebrated their victory. Anjum Chopra, Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami (fondly called Jhulu Di) and Reema Malhotra, have played for India in the past and came very close in 2005 and 2017 were handed the trophy by the girls and were made to feel as if they are a part of this team. Pratika Rawal who had been ruled out before the SF clash owing to an injury was also brought up on stage in her wheelchair to pick the trophy with her teammates and celebrate. She has been an integral part of this set-up and played a crucial role in this tournament as well.

Now that the World Cup has been won, I hope more girls take up sport as a career. Speaking only about Cricket, I wish to see more people in the stadiums for women’s bilateral series and for WPL. I purchased the ticket for the Final at just 250 Rs. I want the prices to rise which will mean that people are willing to go to the stadiums to watch the ladies play. It shouldn’t be anymore about watching Men’s cricket but just Cricket. I wish that this success takes cricket to grass-root levels of India for the girls with proper facilities, guidance, and support from authorities and more importantly their families. If India has to dominate Women’s International Cricket, there should be a massive improvement on the fitness front as well so that each time any player steps on the field, she is able to perform optimally. Now that the World Cup is won, I am positive that all these things will happen and the future of women in Cricket will be brighter than ever.