Women in blue

India’s women cricketers have stirred the imagination of Indians across the board

They lost the game but won hearts; they lost the battle but won the war. And they promised not to cry at the defeat which was both undeserved and unexpected. They fought till then end and even while the win was a whisker away they chased the runs and did not give up.
Across India and hearts of billions of Indians, they have made a place and left an imprint. They are India’s women in blue who have stirred the imagination of Indians across the board and sent a we can do it message.
Even though the win was not to be, the Indian women's cricket team did play and played well in what could have been their maiden World Cup title triumph.
Even as they won billions of hearts, there was a  heartbreak in store for India as they tripped  at the last hurdle in the ICC Women's World Cup 2017, losing by a mere nine runs against England. This was the second time that India finished runner-up, having lost in the final to Australia in 2005 as well. For England, the winning team, it was their fourth world title.
The nail biting finish put everyone on edge. Even those who were not watching, were curious to know the outcome of the match where the women in blue made their mark. Hence from will they make it to did they win, many missed several heartbeats.

The match had the makings of a thriller but the result was an anti-climax for India because they were all set to win with a 191 for three in 42.5 overs. But they were bowled out for 219 in 48.4 overs.

Openers Punam Raut  and Harmanpreet Kaur's with  half centuries each had set the ball rolling but after that the plot was somewhat lost. Yet the Indian women's team emerged as a force in world cricket with some inspiring performances.

The match had everything for a cricket fan. It was dramatic; there was action; there was excitement and there was nervousness. But above all it was intense. India lost but the women in blue fought to win and it was that more than the win that mattered.

It is not England’s win but India’s performances that has made headlines. For Indians, the win was a postscript to a match that has brought the Indian women cricket centre-stage. It is how well the women played that has become the talking point. It has also raised the bar for women’s cricket in India.

Till now women cricketers were not in the reckoning. Cricket lovers associated the game with men and it was cricketers like Virat Kohli, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh who are top of the mind.  Harmanpreet Kaur or Jhulan Goswami were unknown entities to those outside the world of sport.

India has pitched male cricketers as demi gods. Women were nowhere. But this match has changed it all. It has taken the sport to another level. It has also made Indians sit up and take note of the potential of women cricketers: their grit, determination and more importantly fighting spirit. The women in blue stand tall: even if not at par with their male counterparts but certainly not very far behind.

It is also an eye-opener for the government to shift focus and sit up and take note of the fact that women cricketers need to be reared and nurtured; the country needs to invest in them and their training and regimen has to be at par if not better than the all male teams. It is time that their potential is tapped and this hidden asset is allowed to reinvent itself and put its best foot forward. As if now if it has reached where it has, it is not because of the government push or sporting bodies but because it pushed itself to prove that its  worth. And this is where lies the tragedy. Governments and sports bodies in India wake up after a win and a defeat: they do not work towards achieving the ultimate but stop at simply  playing matches. The training conditions leave much to be desired and the government may be pumping in huge amounts of money but whether it is ill spent or well spent remains a concern and a huge question-mark.

In the present case too, for India and Indians to wake up to the existence of a women’s cricket team was only after women cricketers reached the semi finals and finals. Till then they were a mere speck on the sporting map. Television has ofcourse helped the game and the media hype around the current match and its better players have made Indians applaud the women in blue.

The need of the hour is to delink women cricket and make an independent body to govern and steer it, give substantial amounts of funds for its exclusive use rather than leave them in its current state as appendages to male dominated sport and federations. As of now it is men first which is detrimental to the growth and development of women sports particularly cricket because this is one game, unlike badminton and tennis, which is not gender neutral. Governments apart, even educational institutions do not have women cricket as a priority sport. Hence the talent if any remains untapped. Girls in school often play basketball,  badminton or tennis, depending on the  facilities available. Therefore, catching them young is a pipe-dream.

Women players often battle criticism that the sport for them is only a step up for a government job followed by marriage. This may be partly true but then that should be good for all women playing any sport. There is no argument to support that shuttler P. V. Sindhu will not vie for a job or get married while Harmanpreet or Jhulan would. Or saying that a job or marriage would checkmate their sporting careers.

It is all about motivation, incentives and encouragement. For those in sport their game is a passion and if channeled and steered properly it would work wonders and put everything else, livelihood and family, on the backburner. Therefore, to say that men want to and women don’t or cannot is being unfair and unjust. Pitched against men, women usually do better and if there is a level playing they often excel. What needs to change is the mind set that is reluctant to put Women First.

The writer is a senior Indian journalist, political commentator and columnist of The Independent. She can be reached at: ([email protected])

Women in blue

Indias women cricketers have stirred the imagination of Indians across the board

They lost the game but won hearts; they lost the battle but won the war. And they promised not to cry at the defeat which was both undeserved and unexpected. They fought till then end and even while the win was a whisker away they chased the runs and did not give up. Across India and hearts of billions of Indians, they have made a place and left an imprint. They are Indias women in blue who have stirred the imagination of Indians across the board and sent a we can do it message. Even though the win was not to be, the Indian womens cricket team did play and played well in what could have been their maiden World Cup title triumph. Even as they won billions of hearts, there was a heartbreak in store for India as they tripped at the last hurdle in the ICC Womens World Cup 2017, losing by a mere nine runs against England. This was the second time that India finished runner-up, having lost in the final to Australia in 2005 as well. For England, the winning team, it was their fourth world title. The nail biting finish put everyone on edge. Even those who were not watching, were curious to know the outcome of the match where the women in blue made their mark. Hence from will they make it to did they win, many missed several heartbeats. The match had the makings of a thriller but the result was an anti-climax for India because they were all set to win with a 191 for three in 42.5 overs. But they were bowled out for 219 in 48.4 overs. Openers Punam Raut and Harmanpreet Kaurs with half centuries each had set the ball rolling but after that the plot was somewhat lost. Yet the Indian womens team emerged as a force in world cricket with some inspiring performances. The match had everything for a cricket fan. It was dramatic; there was action; there was excitement and there was nervousness. But above all it was intense. India lost but the women in blue fought to win and it was that more than the win that mattered. It is not Englands win but Indias performances that has made headlines. For Indians, the win was a postscript to a match that has brought the Indian women cricket centre-stage. It is how well the women played that has become the talking point. It has also raised the bar for womens cricket in India. Till now women cricketers were not in the reckoning. Cricket lovers associated the game with men and it was cricketers like Virat Kohli, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh who are top of the mind. Harmanpreet Kaur or Jhulan Goswami were unknown entities to those outside the world of sport. India has pitched male cricketers as demi gods. Women were nowhere. But this match has changed it all. It has taken the sport to another level. It has also made Indians sit up and take note of the potential of women cricketers: their grit, determination and more importantly fighting spirit. The women in blue stand tall: even if not at par with their male counterparts but certainly not very far behind. It is also an eye-opener for the government to shift focus and sit up and take note of the fact that women cricketers need to be reared and nurtured; the country needs to invest in them and their training and regimen has to be at par if not better than the all male teams. It is time that their potential is tapped and this hidden asset is allowed to reinvent itself and put its best foot forward. As if now if it has reached where it has, it is not because of the government push or sporting bodies but because it pushed itself to prove that its worth. And this is where lies the tragedy. Governments and sports bodies in India wake up after a win and a defeat: they do not work towards achieving the ultimate but stop at simply playing matches. The training conditions leave much to be desired and the government may be pumping in huge amounts of money but whether it is ill spent or well spent remains a concern and a huge question-mark. In the present case too, for India and Indians to wake up to the existence of a womens cricket team was only after women cricketers reached the semi finals and finals. Till then they were a mere speck on the sporting map. Television has ofcourse helped the game and the media hype around the current match and its better players have made Indians applaud the women in blue. The need of the hour is to delink women cricket and make an independent body to govern and steer it, give substantial amounts of funds for its exclusive use rather than leave them in its current state as appendages to male dominated sport and federations. As of now it is men first which is detrimental to the growth and development of women sports particularly cricket because this is one game, unlike badminton and tennis, which is not gender neutral. Governments apart, even educational institutions do not have women cricket as a priority sport. Hence the talent if any remains untapped. Girls in school often play basketball, badminton or tennis, depending on the facilities available. Therefore, catching them young is a pipe-dream. Women players often battle criticism that the sport for them is only a step up for a government job followed by marriage. This may be partly true but then that should be good for all women playing any sport. There is no argument to support that shuttler P. V. Sindhu will not vie for a job or get married while Harmanpreet or Jhulan would. Or saying that a job or marriage would checkmate their sporting careers. It is all about motivation, incentives and encouragement. For those in sport their game is a passion and if channeled and steered properly it would work wonders and put everything else, livelihood and family, on the backburner. Therefore, to say that men want to and women dont or cannot is being unfair and unjust. Pitched against men, women usually do better and if there is a level playing they often excel. What needs to change is the mind set that is reluctant to put Women First. The writer is a senior Indian journalist, political commentator and columnist of The Independent. She can be reached at: ([email protected])