“Evolution of Indian Women's Cricket: “The story of resilience and glory”

 

“Evolution of Indian Women's Cricket:

“The story of resilience and glory”

Introduction:

Cricket in India is nothing less than a religion, and the evolution of Indian Women's Cricket in this journey is an amazing story of perseverance, passion, patience, and progress.

The four decades of journey in the evolution of Indian Women's Cricket —from glory to growth —is not just a social metamorphosis but a narrative of sporting brilliance.

From the dusty grounds & struggle to the International arena, Indian Women have shown their character of resilience and self-belief.

Their path to glory is nothing less than a wonderful fairy tale, where sequences of ups and downs, an endeavor for survival grown from humble beginnings to a global powerhouse.

The Early Years – 1970s to 1980s

Formation of Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI)

Women’s Cricket in India officially started in 1973 with the formation of the Women’s Cricket Association of Indian at Lucknow. The WCAI was granted membership of the International Women's Cricket Council (IWCC) in 1973,

With minimal funding and financial support, the pioneers from the initial period kept the sports alive.

The modest beginning of domestic Cricket started with the WCAI organizing the Women's Inter-State Nationals in Pune in April 1973. The first national-level, interstate women’s cricket competition commenced in the country with teams Mumbai, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh. The Mumbai team was captained by Diana Eduli, one of the pioneers of Indian Women's Cricket.

The first International Women’s Cricket match was held in Bangalore between India (W) and West Indies (W) in 1975-76. The road of an inspiring journey started with this game.

Diana Edulji, Shanta Rangaswamy were the key players in those initial days, and their legacy continued for future generations. The Indian Women's team first went on an overseas tour in 1977 to Australia and New Zealand. The first ever World Cup in 1978 was organized in India. The growth of sports started from that period.

1980s to 1990s:

The saga of grit and determination continued with the pioneers of Shanta Rangaswamy, Diana Edulji navigated extremely tough conditions, travelling in unreserved compartments, staying on dormitory floors, and with self-funded kits, continued to fight with resolve.

The 1980s saw gradual internationalization.  The absence from the 1988 edition was due to logistical hurdles, but the team rebuilt steadily.

The 1983 World Cup win by the Men’s team gave impetus to Women’s Cricket, with many joining the game at local levels.. 

 The Growth Phase – 1990s

Domestic Competitions and Early Success

After an initial struggle in the last fifteen years, the period of the 1990s became a landmark decade with steady improvement in Women’s Cricket.

It saw the involvement of many schools participating in Women’s Cricket, along with a few more States joining at the National level. The sponsorship and support also started pouring in for Women’s Cricket.

One of the early stars in Women's Cricket, Anjum Chopra, the left-handed batter, remained one of the main players of the team until she retired in 2012. She had participated in the 1997, 2000, and 2005 World Cups.

While the team showed potential, including hosting the 1997 World Cup, it was also a period of consistent growth and development, setting the stage for future success..

The major achievements during the period were:

• Participation in the World Cup in 1993 and hosting the 1997 edition.
• India could finish their journey reaching the semi-finals in the 1997 World Cup.
• The finals in 1997 drew a record crowd at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. This was marked as a landmark event with increased visibility and a fan base.
• The Women’s team also added eight test matches to their kitty between 1991 and 1999.

The increase in experience in playing International and competitive Cricket helped the team to grow in the truest sense. The 1990s had put the Indian Women’s Cricket team on the Global map.

The Women’s teams raised their performance bar and were also recognized as a unit to compete globally.

 The Turning Point – 2000s

Impact of Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami

The decade of the 2000s is known as the golden era of Indian Women’s Cricket, with two legends, Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami, leading from the front.

Mithali, the able batter, and Jhulan, the speedster the stars of Indian Women’s Cricket. Both have created records in their respective domain. Their performance, along with the team, had created waves in the International arena.

Their consistent performances, records, and able leadership have paved the way for a new dimension in Indian Women's Cricket.

India were semifinalists in the 2000 World Cup.

The decade also saw some great performances. From winning the 2004 inaugural Asia Cup, the 2005-06 Asia Cup, to reaching the finals of the 2005 World Cup, it was the start of a new journey, which began in 1973.

The year of the BCCI Takeover- a new life in the Women’s Indian Cricket journey.

The year 2006 marks an important chapter in the history of Women’s Cricket in India. BCCI takes over women’s cricket administration from WCAI.

This was as crucial and important to promote the game along with media coverage, funding, and also better facilities.  This crucial takeover gave Women’s Cricket a new life, along with enhanced public viewing through proper game scheduling and coverage.

India reached the 2009, 2010 World Cup Semifinals in T20 and

India also won the 2006 and 2008 editions of the Asia Cup during this decade.

The Modern Era – 2010s to Present

Rise of Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and New Talents.

The turning point in Indian Women’s Cricket started in 2010. The concept of the game, which continued to evolve, also ensured that the Indian team cemented its supremacy through its existing superstars, Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami, to the advent of new stars.

The major achievements during this period were:

·   Continued to be the Asia Cup Champions in 2012, 2016, and 2022.

·      The 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup became a turning point when India reached the finals.

·     The Indian team reached the semifinals of the 2018 and 2023 T20 World Cups and the finals of T20, 2020 World Cup for the first time.

·   The Indian team won the gold in the 2022 Asian Games and silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The era saw Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami continuing their supremacy by leading from the front until they retired from Test matches and ODIs in 2022.

Their legacy was passed on to the new modern icons Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Deepti Sharma.

Harmanpreet’s stroke-filled 171-run innings off 115 balls against Australia was the talking point of the tournament, creating sensation in the Country, and also Women’s Cricket came to the limelight, it had wanted over the years.

The other players who tried their best in the 2017 World Cup and also in ODIs were Punam Raut, Rajeshwari Gayakwad

The great Women Cricketers had their own speciality, with Harmanpreet Kaur becoming a leader and the first Indian woman to score a Century in a T20 International match.

Smriti Mandhana, walking in the footsteps of the seniors, was named the most exciting player in World Cricket.

Deepti Sharma caught the attention of every Women's Cricket follower as the gutsy all-rounder and a key player to win matches for India.

Launch of Women’s Premier League (WPL)

The big moment that defined the Indian Women's Cricket as a testimony to their hard work and strenuous journey to glory was the introduction of the Women’s Premier League in the lines of the popular IPL in 2023.

The players found a stepping stone in the World of Cricket in a big way. The global exposure marked the beginning of a new chapter towards competitiveness.

They also became much more financially stable through WPL. Performing before packed stadiums, competing against International stars paved the way for learning and bringing Women's Cricket into the mainstream of Indian Sports.

Women’s World Cup 2025:

Post 2023, BCCI further took the lead for the improvement and betterment of Indian Cricket for Women. Apart from organizing tournaments at the National level, WPL has made an important decision to appoint a very senior, experienced Men’s player as their coach. Amol Muzumdar was appointed the coach for the Indian Women’s Cricket team.

The path was defined, the goal set, and the journey began for the World Cup 2025 to be co-hosted in India along with Sri Lanka.

The journey was difficult but not impossible. The perseverance and the discipline shown by each member selected for the glory worked as a team unit. The performances improved over the period. The bar of competitiveness was set differently each time, and the Women achieve it with their grit and dedication.

The group matches, three losses in a row, defeating the arch rivals Australia for the first time in the World Cup in the semi finals, and becoming the World Champions in the 2025 World Cup, is a story of resolute and hard work.

The entire team, led by Hramanpreet Kaur, coached by Amol Muzumdar, had risen beyond their stretched levels to bring glory to Indian Women’s Cricket.

The other notable players who performed in the crucial games, Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodriguez, Shefali Varma, Richa Ghosh, Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Amonjit Kaur, Shree Charani, Radha  Yadav, Renuka Singh, Kranti Goud, Uma Chetry and others, played the game of their lifetime in the session of the World Cup.

It was the fitting finale to the fairy tale journey full of hurdles, struggle, and believing self that makes the beginning of a new chapter in Indian Women’s Cricket. The journey to Glory has just started.

The Road Ahead for Women’s Cricket in India

The future of Indian Women's Cricket looks bright after their Crowning as the World Champions.

However, there are a lot of other challenges to sustain this growth, to carry forward this legacy, and also continue their winning streak in the next T20 World Cup 2026.

While the senior players and the top-level unit continue to thrive on their performances, it has opened new dimensions and will encourage the talented young girls to take up the sport.

The need for upgraded facilities, grassroots training & coaching camps, with regional academies, will be the need of the day. Infrastructure development is the top priority.

The media attention, the support by BCCI, and the respective States, promised investments will definitely encourage more young girls to be part of this redefined journey.

After Kapil Dev and his team won the 1983 World Cup, the global power in Cricket started shifting towards India, and now the same thing will start happening in Indian Women’s Cricket.

Conclusion

The struggle in the 1970s, the developmental phase in the 1990s, the golden & turnaround stories beyond 2000, mark a new era of Glory. 

The evolution of Indian Women’s Cricket over forty years of resilience and glory showcases remarkable determination and transformation.

\With icons like Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Deepti Sharma inspiring millions, the next generation stands ready to script new chapters of glory for Indian cricket.

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