Story of the Indian team that completed an amazing turnaround to win the World Cup
Cricket is a religion in India. The nation comes to a standstill when there is an important match. But this was true mostly for the men’s matches till recently, till Sunday. When Harman completed that catch, the nation came out to the streets and celebrated. The ‘Women in Blue’ have gone through many a near miss in the past, but this time was different. No one gave the Indian eves a chance when they lost three close group matches in a row. But dawn comes after the darkest night- the turnaround to complete the cup win was truly remarkable.
This blog is a celebration of our World Cup win- from despair to hope, from tears of sorrow and pain to tears of happiness, from Impossible to I’m Possible.
Harmanpreet Kaur led the country from the front. She played a few crucial knocks through the cup. The partnership with Jemimah in the semi-final was crucial to turn around the match vs the mighty Aussies. She has a knack of coming to the party in the big knockout matches- her 171 in the 2017 World Cup semifinal is one of the best ODI performances ever. Her catch to complete the final match would have been played a million plus times already- it will become as iconic as Kapil’s catch to dismiss Viv in the ’83 World Cup final. She was calm under pressure as a captain and listened to her instinct when handing the ball to Shafali which turned around the game in the final vs South Africa.
Smriti Mandhana is the best batswoman in the world currently and lived up to her potential with a 400+ aggregate series. Her offside batting reminds me of Ganguly- so much elegance, so much class. She ensured India made great starts in most of the matches. Her bond with Harman was also great to see- that chemistry between two senior members in the team is not something we see normally and really spurred the team on.
Shafali Varma was the proverbial wildcard- she was not in the original team. Called as an SOS for the knockout matches, she delivered the Woman of the Match performance in the final. Her 80+ with the bat was full of aggression. She plays quite a lot like Sehwag. During the chase, Shafali was the one who turned the match on its head with two golden wickets with her part time spin.
Pratika Rawal missed the knockouts but had a stellar performance through the group phase. She is one for the future- fastest woman to reach 1000 runs in ODI international cricket (23 matches). She gave great solidity to the batting with her opening partnerships with Smriti. Her century vs NewZealand in a virtual knock out match set up India’s turnaround. It was wonderful to see her join the celebrations after the final inspite of being in a wheelchair!
Jemimah Rodrigues played the most important match of her life in the semi final. The Australian Women’s team had won more than half the World Cups till now and were invincible. To guide the chase with that 127* was one for the ages. She did not celebrate her milestones as she knew that the bigger job of seeing the team home was still something she had to complete. Her post match interview where she shared her self doubts and vulnerability so openly also was touching– she was dropped in the early parts of the World Cup and got a lot of support from fellow players which really helped her make the astounding comeback.
Deepti Sharma was the Woman of the Series with 20 wickets and 200+ runs- the first time someone has done this ever in a World Cup (for both male or female). Time and again, she rescued the team with lower middle order runs when there was a batting collapse and then she kept getting wickets at crucial junctures too. Her 50 and five wickets in the final is another rare occurrence- something that has never been done before.
Richa Ghosh had a clear role laid out to her- she was the finisher in the team and ensured India always ended their batting innings on a high. Her cameo helped India continue the momentum in the semifinal when Jemi was tiring and she also ensured that India accelerated in the final- what seemed like 280 odd became almost 300 thanks to her. That leg side catch of Kapp in the final was mighty crucial too in sealing the deal.
Amanjot Kaur helped balance our playing eleven- she turned around the final with the crucial run out of Brits and that catch of Wolvaardt was the icing on the cake. She helped complete the win in the semis with Jemimah and also had a run a ball 50 earlier in the tournament batting at no.8.
Kranti Gaud had a good series too- it was wonderful to see an Indian eve bowl with good pace to rattle the opponents. Her yorker to get Wolvaardt in the group match was one of my favourite moments of the World Cup.
Shree Charani was a revelation- she bowled with great guile through the campaign and took 14 wickets. She was the one who gave India control in the middle overs.
Renuka Thakur, Radha Yadav, Harleen Deol- all played their roles in shaping the wins through the campaign. Even Arundhati Reddy and Uma Chetry kept the morale high- Jemi mentioned how their the inspirational messages helped when she was tiring towards the end of that iconic semifinal innings vs Australia.
And last but not the least, Amol Muzumdar- life for him came a full cycle. When Sachin and Kambli constructed that record 600+ partnership at school level, Amol was waiting in the dugout for two full days- he was the next batsman in. He then had to wait for the next twenty years- got 10000+ domestic runs but never got a chance to play for India. It was a moment of redemption for him when he took on the reins of the Indian women cricket team in ’23. He did a splendid job of bringing the team together and instilling belief and conviction when no one gave them a chance- the team spirit was awesome as can be seen from this team song they had collectively planned from four years back. He really was the Kabir Khan who fulfilled his dream and that of a billion through the World cup victory.
This was not just a victory for the current players or the coaches alone. It was a win for all the past greats who helped shape India cricket what it is today and built the foundations. So cheers to Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Anjum Chopra, Diana Edulji and the likes. It was wonderful to see them join the celebrations with the team with so much passion.
Spare a thought also for the South Africa team- Wolvaardt was excellent both as a captain and batswoman- with centuries in both the semifinal and the final. SA has reached three white ball finals now (last two T20 World Cup) only to fall short. But their time will surely come soon.
So, the next time there is a cricket match in some small town in India, don’t be surprised if a young girl is opening the batting against a boy bowler- ready to tonk it like Shafali. Moga, Sangli, Mumbai, Siliguri, Rohtak, Agra, Chandigarh, Mohali, Prem Nagar, Eramalle (AP), Rohru (HP)- the starting eleven in the final is a celebration of India’s unity in diversity, lived through its daughters.
Chak De India! Jai Hind!
Silly Point 