CLOSE-IN: Indian Women’s Cricket team are ladies who are still waiting for elusive World Cup (IANS Column)

Why did the T20 Indian women’s cricketers not fare well and meet up to expectations in the World Cup 2024? A loss in the first game against New Zealand had them on the backfoot. The women cricketers, no matter how positive they looked thereafter, could not qualify for the semifinals. A narrow defeat against the World Champion side, Australia, was the final nail in their campaign.

The present Indian women’s side looked a very skilled and able unit. One which on bilateral series has shown to be one of the best in the world. The team has the batting and bowling strength to beat the best, however, it was the fielding and the inexperienced cricket intelligence that let them down.

The team was given the best of facilities and opportunities to prepare themselves for the tournament. However, the burden of performance, the anxiety, and the expectation took their toll on their mental approach. The men’s team winning the T20 cup may have been an additional weight on their shoulders. The glory of victory that awaited them, instead of being a booster, must have become a burden where they were concerned.

Unfortunately, for them, the immense exposure through television and digital advertisement made them superstars. However, in India, this also brings with it a heavy price to pay for failure.

The knives are out to criticise the Indian women’s team by what one considers to be millions of Indian cricket fans, most of whom do not realise that sports can be cruel no matter how much effort one puts into it. The Indian men’s team was subjected to a similar battering for the last 10 years, until they finally achieved an ICC trophy success. Thereafter, the attitude of the men’s team has changed drastically.

The fear of failure was what the Indian women’s team faced in the 1st match against New Zealand. They knew the importance of it and fell prey to, what one can term as, the initial jitters in any sport.

The match versus Australia had the Indian women in a do-or-die effort. However, the inexperience of the match situation and the ability to finish the game proved to be the problem. Although Captain Harmanpreet played sensibly and extremely well, she fell short in her calculation and in her understanding of her own ability to deliver. This is where India’s best T20 finisher, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, stood tall.

The T20 is a very tricky format for most players. Although one looks at it as a slam bang form of the game, a cricketer has to understand his strengths and weaknesses in great detail. Suryakumar Yadav is a good example of it. He has grasped his capabilities beautifully. He may be a 360-degree player; however, he has one standout stroke and that is the legside flick. He can play that from the mid-wicket to behind the keeper with uncanny precision and that is the reason why he is at present considered to be one of the best in the trade.

Indian women’s cricket may have been in existence for the past 50 years, but it is only recently that they have been given the pride of place to flourish. The BCCI has played a very positive part in this. The two individuals who have stood out and pushed their cause vehemently have been Sharad Pawar and Jayesh Shah, the present secretary. The issue is that women’s cricket needs to mature over time. This needs to be done through a good domestic structure, facilities, and most of all, parents allowing their young girls to play the sport.

The Indian women cricketers, as one can see, are not naturally athletic or agile like the Australians. This ability comes through physical training and gymnastics at the school and junior levels. Unfortunately, the focused emphasis on education in most schools has sidetracked the importance of physical fitness. In respect to the girls, it is even less.

The performance of our women in the Olympics and World Championships in sports like boxing, wrestling, and weightlifting are positive signs of progress; however, it requires much more effort from other states of India as well, rather than only the North and the East.

Women’s cricket is on the rise in India. The Indian players are now moving into being thorough professionals, playing not only nationally but also through worldwide franchise cricket.

They need that elusive ICC tournament win and with the skilled and talented cricketers coming forth in numbers, they are “ladies who are still waiting," ones who will taste glory soon.

They, however, need unending support from the millions of cricket lovers of India through their journey to be world champions.

(Yajurvindra Singh is a former India cricketer. The views expressed are personal.)

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