Before I start this article, there is a big confession I would probably need to make. When it was time for the Women’s World Cup to start, I was sort of dreading it a bit. I have never been a keen follower of women’s cricket and always considered it to be just a part of my job which I need to tick off each day. So once the event started, the whole focus was on the Indian team and rightfully so.
They were the hosts of the tournament and one of the favourites to win the whole thing. But everyone seemed to know that the outright favourites were Australia, a team with 10 batters, 7 or 8 all-rounders and just packed with superstars. Now, my mind went back to the time I saw women’s cricket for the first time. Incidentally, it was another World Cup where India went all the way to the final.
Now, there were murmurs of a young Harmanpreet Kaur being a dazzling batter, Mithali Raj being an inspirational captain and Jhulan Goswami being one of the best pacers. But, I still wasn’t convinced at that point in time. Maybe it was the amount of men’s cricket that was going around.
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But then came the biggest shocker of them all and I quickly became a believer. India knocked out Australia thanks to one of the most entertaining knocks by Harmanpreet as she scored 171. We went to the final and the whole nation was behind them. But they fell agonisingly short. It was heartbreak, disappointment and much more.
I was in my first job at that time and it did sting for a day, but everyone sort of moved on. The Indian women’s cricket team continued to make those strides but a crowning moment like that remained at a distance. Eight years on and I was faced with the prospect of covering a women’s World Cup for the first time.
There was a big difference to the men’s game as things were a little bit slower but there was entertainment. The Indian team started off in shaky fashion as their wins against Sri Lanka and Pakistan showed flaws in the side’s game.
The combination seemed to be a bit off. The sixth bowler seemed like something India was sacrificing for batting depth. The main batters like Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and Pratika Rawal all seemed to struggle to get into rhythm.
On the other hand, you were seeing Australia just bulldoze their way to wins. South Africa also gained momentum, and England started to show their class. New Zealand looked to be caught up in the emotions of seeing Sophie Devine leave, so India remained at No.4, but the performances were just not up to the mark.
Then came the three straight losses for the Indian team, which opened the floodgates for criticism and trolling.
A CASE OF EQUAL PAY
When former BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced the historic pay equity policy for its contracted Women cricketers in October, 2022, it was seen as a game-changing move. After years of toiling hard on the field, the female cricketers were becoming recognised in monetary terms as well.
The male cricketers in our country are seen as superstars, as they get big endorsements and IPL contracts coming their way. But for the female stars, this was a step in the right direction.
But this was the same thing which the players started to get trolled for, right after the loss to England. The Indian team fumbled in their games against Australia and South Africa and the match against England was seen as a chance to redeem themselves.
But when they fell at the last hurdle, the amount of social media trolling was unbearable.
While criticism over performances is justified to a degree. I, myself, criticised the team management for their choices and at times, the batters for not playing a more aggressive brand of cricket. But at times, it is easy to get pulled into the troll culture these days. You are quick to send these reels and tweets on Instagram and X or even on WhatsApp with your friends, not realising the effect it truly has.
The sad part was just seeing some of the reactions questioning if the team deserved the support from BCCI after consistently underperforming in major events. While we sat at the comfort of our offices and homes, the players had to undergo the mental stress of delivering something we all got to know from Jemimah Rodrigues’ interview after the Australia game.
Now the question was if India could make it to the semis and another battle with the mighty Aussies.
REDEMPTION ARC
I am sort of just diverting myself from our main topic while talking about the redemption arc of the team by giving the example of Harry Maguire. The Manchester United defender was trolled massively, to the point where he was used as a joke in the Ghanian assembly.
For me, his redemption arc stands out for a lot of reasons, but mostly for the way he handled it. He just kept his head down and slowly, but surely, won over the fans.
Coming back to the Indian team, I saw the same calmness despite all the storm around. There was never a moment where any of the players showed visible frustration or anger on the field. They knew it was all the matter of getting one win, which they did against New Zealand.
The Bangladesh game was a wash-out, but by this time, the team looked set. Unfortunately, they lost Pratika Rawal to an injury but Radha Yadav stepped in and Jemimah Rodrigues hit form at the right time. Jemimah’s story is worthy of a whole different article, which we did to celebrate the person she is. However, when the trolls came in, they attacked everything from the reels she made to even her religion.
So by the time the Australia game came in, I felt this team had a lot to prove. But honestly, we didn’t give a lot of chance for India against Australia.
Once the Aussies set 338, social media were flooded with messages that Australia are already in the final. But then came the chase that just blew everyone away.
India needed their main stars to step up and once Mandhana was dismissed, the onus was on Harmanpreet and Jemimah. The tensions were high for sure, but the Indian team never showed nerves or chance of a collapse to happen when a wicket fell.
There was control and determination to sort of show everyone why they deserved to be in the final. Luck played a factor with Jemimah getting three lives during the innings. But once the winning runs came in, the whole mood changed.
The questions of equal pay was never asked again and everyone started jumping on the bandwagon of being the women’s team supporter. For me, it was never about joining that group but the match just felt like one of the best I have watched in my lifetime.
The tears of Jemimah got me all emotional and her interview just showed a person who was vulnerable and speaking her heart out. I was transported to 2017 once again and the hopes of winning the World Cup was reignited in my mind.
Then, it was disappointment, but this time around there is hope. And all of it was brought in by the team.
While the result of the final is yet to be known and we will have to wait till November 2 to know it. But the women’s team has certainly made people believe in them again and created hopes of a historic win.
– Ends
